‘Encouragement’… Journalist has been told Liverpool are looking at signing £70m player

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Liverpool are taking a look at signing a promising young player excelling in Europe this season.

With the transfer window in full swing at the moment, Liverpool have been linked with moves for all sorts of players. One of those has been Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande.

Diomande has been doing well in Portugal so far this campaign, reportedly catching the Reds’ eye. And speaking on his YouTube channel yesterday, journalist David Lynch confirmed that the 20-year-old is a player Liverpool are well aware of. However, Lynch also suggested that this is by no means an admission that a move is at all likely.

“The one thing I will say about Diomande is, yes, I’ve been given encouragement [by sources] that he is a player Liverpool are looking at, a player they’re scouting,” explained the journalist.

“But he was put to me in this way that if you’ve got a promising player who’s 20-years-old and playing in a top five European league for a club with huge demands around Sporting, similar to Liverpool the pressures that are on them. If you’ve got a 20-year-old coming in in a defensive role there and doing really well, it would be remiss of Liverpool’s scouts wouldn’t it to not be keeping an eye on a player of that sort.

“So, I think that yes, he’s someone Liverpool are looking at but I would also er on the side of caution from saying he’s definitely someone Liverpool are targeting or even in fact that Liverpool are definitely going to sign a centre-half in the summer.”

Liverpool looking at Diomande

This is an understandable position for Liverpool to take. With a potential gap in their squad for a new centre-back, they should be aware of players like Diomande.

They’ve done their shopping in Portugal before of course, and will be well aware of any talents emerging there.

Previously, Diomande’s centre-half partner at Sporting, Goncalo Inacio, has been more heavily linked with the Reds. But over recent weeks talk of the 22-year-old coming to Anfield have quietened a touch.

If reports are to believed though, then Inacio could actually end up being the cheaper option of the two. The Portugal international reportedly has a release clause of around £52m.

Meanwhile, Diomande has been claimed to have an written-in exit fee of more like £70m. That’s steep.

If interest from elsewhere emerges in the Ivorian, then that number could make Liverpool get cold feet. It’s potentially why they’re slightly downplaying their interest in the first place.

But make no mistake, Liverpool are watching this talented defender. As he’s currently away at AFCON with the Ivory Coast, you can bet the Reds have scouts out in his homeland keeping an eye on Diomande.

If they like what they see, then maybe they’ll start to become more serious. We’ve seen Liverpool take action quickly in January before if they sense they need to move fast to get player. While we don’t expect that to happen with Diomande, he’s clearly a player well worth keeping in mind.