Liverpool's £100m Diomande pursuit hits wall as Leipzig reject opening bid

Liverpool’s pursuit of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has stalled after the German club rejected the Reds’ opening bid of £87m, with Leipzig seeking closer to £100m — and potentially as much as £112m — for the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international.

New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has already made one addition this summer, activating the £34.6m release clause in Victor Munoz’s Osasuna contract to secure the Spain international. But the club is pushing hard to strengthen further after a dismal title defence that cost Arne Slot his job and led to Iraola’s appointment.

Despite the rejection, Liverpool are preparing a second offer for Diomande. However, former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd has urged the club to exercise caution over the asking price. “I’m not paying £112 million for him,” Bothroyd said. “There is no doubt about it, he is a very good player. But £112m? That would describe you as one of the world’s best wingers and I’m not sure that he is.”

Bothroyd suggested £85m would represent fair value. “If it is £85 million, I think that is a good valuation from Liverpool. Going above that, though, I can’t see that, and I don’t think it would be good value for money. When you are spending that kind of money on a player, you have to be one of the best in the world in that position. I don’t think he’s one of the best in the world.”

Leipzig, for their part, are reported to be keen to retain Diomande for at least one more season, adding further complexity to any deal.

Elsewhere, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has publicly defended Virgil van Dijk after Dutch pundit Rafael van der Vaart criticised the centre-back’s mobility at the World Cup following the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan. Van der Vaart likened Van Dijk to a Boeing 747 when turning, but the defender’s form improved markedly as the Netherlands went on to beat Sweden 5-1.

On the outgoings front, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate are among the high-profile names expected to leave Anfield this summer as Iraola looks to reshape the squad in his own image.