Joe Cole has urged one of the most coveted young wingers in world football to join Liverpool this summer.
The Reds had been strongly linked with RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande throughout June, with some reports even claiming that an agreement on personal terms had been reached.
However, the Merseysiders’ hoped were effectively dashed after David Ornstein reported that the 19-year-old has instead chosen Paris Saint-Germain as his next destination if he were to leave his current club.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Cole advised the teenager to reconsider that stance and favour a move to Anfield, where he’d have a far better chance of obtaining regular game-time.
The former Reds winger said: “There’s a lot of top-level wingers in world football right now, but Diomande is as good as I’ve seen; he’s so explosive.
“My advice to him as a young player is don’t bother going to PSG. Go to Liverpool because if they want you and there’s a hole in the team to play, then they really need you.
“PSG don’t need anybody, but maybe his heart is set on Paris. If that’s the case and he backs himself, I’ve got no problem with that; but if Liverpool still want him, go out and convince him because I think that would be the move that suits him best.”
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We fully agree with Cole’s verdict – Diomande would seem far likelier to go straight into Andoni Iraola’s starting XI at Anfield than Luis Enrique’s star-studded forward line in Paris.
Whereas there’s already an abundance of attackers at the Parc des Princes, the right-winger berth at Liverpool is up for grabs following the exit of Mo Salah, and the Ivory Coast international would’ve seemed the perfect candidate to fill that berth.
If the player’s mind is made up and he only wants PSG, then there’s probably little that can be done to convince him otherwise, and LFC sporting director Richard Hughes may feel that any further pursuit of the 19-year-old would be futile.
However, if there’s still a chance that the Anfield hierarchy could turn his head, then it might be worth one last charm offensive to see if Diomande can still be swayed towards Merseyside.
In all probability, the chances of luring the Ivorian to Liverpool appear slim, but pulling off a potential swoop for PSG winger Bradley Barcola wouldn’t be a bad way to make up for missing out on the RB Leipzig teenager!
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