PSG convince £100m-rated Diomande to snub Liverpool in favour of Champions League project

Yan Diomande has decided to join Paris Saint-Germain rather than Liverpool, dealing the Reds a significant blow in their search for a wide forward to replace Mohamed Salah, according to The Athletic. The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger, valued at around £100m, is understood to have been persuaded by PSG’s sporting project in the French capital.

Liverpool’s fifth-place Premier League finish last season, set against PSG’s back-to-back Champions League titles, is reported to have been a decisive factor in the Ivorian’s thinking. The Anfield club had identified Diomande as a marquee target capable of filling the void left by Salah’s departure this summer.

Diomande is expected to finalise his move to Paris once his international commitments conclude. The Ivory Coast face Norway in the World Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday — a historic occasion for the west African nation, who are appearing in the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.

Liverpool had also been tracking Spain international Victor Munoz as a separate wide-forward option, and the club are still expected to pursue a young, proven addition in that position during the summer window despite missing out on Diomande.

At 19, Diomande emerged as one of the standout players of the tournament’s group stage, drawing attention from several of Europe’s biggest clubs. His decision to choose PSG over a move to the Premier League underlines the pull of the Parisian club’s renewed continental ambitions.