Liverpool's transfer activity continues behind the scenes as the World Cup takes center stage. The Reds have learned their fixture fate, starting with a difficult assignment at Newcastle United under new head coach Andoni Iraola, who has already secured his first signing in Victor Munoz. The ECHO's Paul Gorst provides the latest updates in his Liverpool Notebook.
Yan Diomande Future Remains Uncertain
Significant movement on Yan Diomande's career plans is unlikely until after the World Cup, specifically following Ivory Coast's historic campaign. The 19-year-old winger, who impressed with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, is attracting strong interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool communicated their willingness to pay up to £86m for the rising star last week. However, Leipzig is reluctant to sell and wants to enter talks with Diomande's representatives about a new contract. As of Friday, June 26, that is where things stand, despite social media claims on Thursday, June 25, that Liverpool had tabled a bid exceeding £100m. Those reports, erroneously attributed to Bild, were dismissed as entirely false by sources at the German publication.
Sky Sport Germany reporter Philipp Hinze posted on X: "Just to clarify: reports currently circulating on X that Leipzig have rejected a new €116m offer from LFC are not true. Various accounts picked it up blindly without checking the source. This was never officially reported by any credible journalistic source. As things stand, there has not yet been a second offer."
Diomande himself, after Ivory Coast's 2-0 win over Curacao to secure World Cup knockout qualification for the first time, said: "Right now, I don't know. I am not thinking about my future after the World Cup. I am trying to put all my energy into the World Cup and we will see what is going to happen after that. I can say nothing about." This echoed his stance after beating Ecuador 1-0 on June 15, when he stated: "A move to the Premier League? I am an RB Leipzig player, but why not? My agents will sort that out. As for me I am more focused on the World Cup, that's the most important thing." With Liverpool and Leipzig over £25m apart in valuations, the saga is expected to continue.
Jarell Quansah Downplays Liverpool Return Talk
Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah has played down speculation about his future as he aims for World Cup inclusion with England. Liverpool sold the Warrington-born centre-back for around £35m last summer but included a buyback clause of approximately £60m. The Reds have also agreed terms on a contract Quansah would sign if they opt to bring him back.
Quansah told reporters at the World Cup: "I always think about the now really. We’ve got a massive tournament ahead of us, and at World Cups anything can happen from one week to the next. You just don’t know with football - just like I didn’t know exactly when I was gonna leave Liverpool and my time at Bristol. So you can be anywhere in the next two years, you can be anywhere in the next ten. I’ve just got to think about how I can affect the now and be the best version of myself right now, and that’s all I can do."
Juventus' Derisory Offer for Alisson Becker
Football agent David Lavelle has claimed that Juventus offered Liverpool as little as £6m for Alisson Becker. The Italian club explored signing the Reds goalkeeper this summer, with the Brazil No.1 reportedly open to a new challenge after eight years at Liverpool. However, it appears increasingly likely that Alisson will stay after a one-year contract extension was triggered earlier this year.
Speaking to Italian publication Oggi Sport Notizie, Lavelle of 365 Sports Management said: "You have to remember that Liverpool have changed their coach to Iraola. He probably wants to take a look at them all starting off with. Alisson has only one year left on his contract. I know that he has agreed personal terms with Juventus. I think the Brazilian is worth around €15million or so and the Bianconeri have entered the race for this goalkeeper with a cheeky offer. I don't know if the Juventus management has offered €7million (£6.3m) to Liverpool just because he is in the last year of his contract. I would suspect that Alisson is 33 years old and was very injury-prone last season, he's a goalkeeper prone to injuries. But listen, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world without a shadow of a doubt and Liverpool would like to keep him."
