Liverpool know they must pay something approaching – or even over – £100m if they are to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig this summer.
The Reds chose to break the £100m barrier twice last year, for Florian Wirtz and then Alexander Isak, and are yet to be rewarded for their ambition.
While it remains to be seen whether the stories of Wirtz and Isak inform Liverpool‘s decision over Diomande, it has been reported that the Reds are looking at other options instead of the Ivorian. Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, Said El Mala of Koln and Matias Fernandez-Pardo have all been named as being high on Liverpool’s list. But which of the three would be the best addition?
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Yankuba Minteh – All potential, little output
Of the three players – plus the more experienced option of Bradley Barcola – Minteh is the only one to have played in the Premier League.
Having steadily made his mark at Brighton, the Gambian is now an important player for Fabian Hurzeler, and started 26 Premier League matches last season.
While he impressed for much of the term, including during two blistering performances against Liverpool, Minteh’s output remains a slight problem.
Three goals and four assists may not sound too bad for a 21-year-old, but with reports that Brighton would want more than £60m to sell Minteh, it is not really enough. The only left-footed player on the list, he would at least look like a Mohamed Salah replacement, on paper anyway, but he would have to step it up massively in the final third.
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Said El Mala – Bundesliga maverick who outscored Diomande
Liverpool have had a mixed time with signings from the Bundesliga recently, but are clearly willing to go big on a star of the division again in Diomande.
Should the 19-year-old prove to be just a little too costly, though, El Mala would arguably be the next best thing as far as the German top division is concerned.
The teenager scored 13 goals to Diomande’s 12 last season, bursting onto the scene for Koln.
Unlike his RB Leipzig counterpart, however, El Mala is seemingly more comfortable on the right of a forward line, and that may be taken into account. He is fast, explosive and is a box of tricks, but El Mala is exceedingly raw and may take a while to acclimatise to the Premier League.
One positive could be his price, with recent claims that Koln would accept €50m for El Mala marking him down as less than half the price of Diomande.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo – The wildcard pick
While Minteh has been previously linked with Liverpool and El Mala is notable for being one of the most prolific teenagers in the top five European leagues last season, Matias Fernandez-Pardo feels like a slightly wildcard choice for the Reds.
The 21-year-old has shown improvement across his two years with Lille, doubling both his goals and assists tally last term. However, they still stood at just eight and six respectively, which just would not be enough for Liverpool.
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It has been claimed that the one thing the Reds really want their new signing to have is pace, and Fernandez-Pardo certainly has plenty of that, and his ability to play across the front line would also appeal.
Already a three-cap Belgium international, the former Genk star is clearly a hugely talented player, but with Lille recently said to have put a €70m valuation on his head, it feels as though there are better options elsewhere.
The verdict: Said El Mala should be the Diomande back-up
Ask most Liverpool fans who they’d want the club to sign if not Diomande this summer, and their answers would likely be to go and get Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.
But the Frenchman is more of a left-sided forward, and with Liverpool primarily after someone to play on the right, these three young players are the front-runners.
All three have their pros and cons, with the negative points arguably outweighing the positives for each of them.
But taking the price, current form and potential into account, it is clear that Said El Mala would be the best option for Liverpool here.
If Leipzig continue to hold out for a monstrous fee to sell Diomande to the Reds, the German should be the one Liverpool go for.
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