Liverpool are expected to make a second bid for Yan Diomande after seeing RB Leipzig turn down €100m for the Ivorian, with the German club expecting his value to increase during the World Cup.
Time is a factor for Liverpool, with Leipzig clearly hoping that Diomande will shine in the USA, Canada and Mexico, leading to a high-stakes bidding war between the Reds, Paris Saint-Germain, and whoever else wants to throw their hat into the ring.
But Liverpool supporters are not sure about Diomande’s massive price-tag, and after the 19-year-old struggled to make much of an impact against Germany on Saturday, it may actually work in their favour to hold off and see how he gets on for the rest of the World Cup before launching another bid.
How impressive has Yan Diomande been at the 2026 World Cup?!
Diomande valuation may not increase at the World Cup
From a Leipzig point of view, you can understand why they would be keen to string the Diomande saga out for as long as possible.
The Ivorian was excellent during his country’s opening match at the World Cup, and there was a clear feeling that they could soon be justified in asking for plenty north of the €100m Liverpool have offered.
However, Saturday was a setback in terms of that plan being realised. Diomande had some good moments, and was key in creating Franck Kessie’s opening goal, but generally this was not the display of a €100m player, let alone one worth 120 or €130m.
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Ecuador’s draw against Curacao on Sunday morning means that Ivory Coast are virtually certain to qualify for the knockout rounds despite losing against Germany, and Diomande could obviously sparkle on a bigger stage later in the summer.
But if Liverpool hold on, they may just be rewarded with some more underwhelming performances from their top wing target.
While this would bring further questions from supporters over the wisdom of paying so much for such an unproven player, it could also strengthen Liverpool’s hand in negotiations with Leipzig. His value is unlikely to decrease at all, but it may not increase either.
Liverpool should gather more evidence on Diomande
There is a further reason why waiting to bid again for Diomande could work in Liverpool’s favour.
The former Leganes starlet barely has 60 appearances to his name in senior football. That is not a lot of evidence to go off that he is worth splashing such a huge sum on.
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This is not the same player 😭
The longer he plays at the World Cup, the more of a portfolio Liverpool can start to properly build up.
Though they have seemingly already been completely convinced by him, waiting a little longer could be no bad thing. Saturday’s display was not great from Diomande, and more of that may show him to be not quite the player Liverpool thought he was, thus saving them from an expensive mistake.
This could backfire on them if Diomande shines again, as he is expected to do. But there is no harm in waiting a week or two to see how things play out.
After the disappointments Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have served up since joining Liverpool for similarly huge fees, the Reds cannot afford to have another nine-figure deal flop.
Saturday was the first sign that Diomande may not be all he’s cracked up to be, and though nothing should really be deduced from one performance alone, Liverpool should have learnt from their recent experiences enough to press the pause button for now.
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