Lewis Steele has hinted that, despite their public bullishnes, RB Leipzig ‘privately’ accept they might be forced to sell Yan Diomande this summer.
Liverpool appear to be in pole position to sign the coveted Ivorian winger, with reports from France claiming that an ‘agreement’ on personal terms has been reached, and that main rivals Paris Saint-Germain are set to pull out of the race for him as his asking price is outside their budget.
The Bundesliga side are said to be determined to keep hold of the 19-year-old, who they value at a whopping €130m (£112.2m), according to The Athletic, but it appears that they might have their arm twisted into selling him for a bit less than that.
In an update on his eponymous YouTube channel, Steele proclaimed his confidence that Liverpool will sign Diomande this summer and that Leipzig privately feel they might ‘have to sell’ the winger.
The journalist said: “I’ve been speaking to people from the Leipzig camp, from the Diomande camp and also from people in this country as well. As I said last week, I really do think this one will happen.
“Publicly they’re saying he’s not for sale but privately – I know privately – they’re sort of conceding the fact that they are going to have to sell him. They’re standing firm on their €130m valuation of Diomande. They might come down slightly, though.”
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Between the reported agreement on personal terms, PSG seemingly pulling out of the race for him, and Leipzig privately preparing to concede defeat, it feels as though a lot of factors are playing into Liverpool’s hands in their pursuit of Diomande.
It’s still much too early to declare that a transfer is inevitable – meeting the German club’s asking price will be hugely challenging, even if they concede some ground on the £112m – but the signs are looking increasingly positive from a Reds point of view.
His ongoing participation in the World Cup might delay LFC’s pursuit slightly, and Ivory Coast are still well on course to reach the knockout stage, but we don’t doubt that Richard Hughes will be eager to submit another bid for him soon after the rejection of an opening offer of €100m (£86.8m).
That’s because Leipzig might be tempted to tack on an extra few million quid to Diomande’s price tag if he continues to shine at the tournament in North America and, if they’re privately resigned to losing him, hold out for as lucrative a fee as possible.
There’s still plenty to be done before a transfer nears completion, but the direction of travel is certainly veering increasingly towards the 19-year-old becoming a Liverpool player before the end of August.
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