Yan Diomande has called in sick at RB Leipzig after the club failed to respond to Real Madrid's most recent transfer offer for the winger. With talks stalled over his future, Diomande is now set to miss the pre-season friendly against Verl, and his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit's training camp in Austria has been thrown into doubt.
Diomande had been hoping to avoid the trip as he pushed for a move, but was told he was expected to travel, according to Sky in Germany. Real Madrid were said to be taken aback by Leipzig's failure to reply, with the ex-Liverpool target eager to complete a switch to the Bernabeu and hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon.
Liverpool's winger search continues
While Liverpool's chances of landing Diomande appear all but over, the uncertainty may still keep a slim door open for the Reds. Leipzig had been reluctant to let Diomande leave before Real's interest gathered momentum.
Liverpool have, however, received encouragement on another front. Paris Saint-Germain have made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche, which could potentially clear the path for Bradley Barcola to depart the Ligue 1 club.
PSG's asking price for Barcola may still prove steep for Liverpool, with a reported £145m valuation. Yet Barcola has reportedly given his verbal agreement to the move, leaving PSG as the final hurdle. The 23-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, is also said to have turned down talks over an extension.
Liverpool have not opened negotiations with PSG, but there has been some indication that the Champions League winners might soften their stance on Barcola's valuation. A separate figure of £128.5m has been mentioned, and it is claimed a fee exceeding £100m would not put Liverpool off. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz both joined at Anfield in transfers worth more than that amount last summer.
Iraola says winger signing needed
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has previously made clear that the club are in the market for another winger. He said: "No, I think it is difficult to say a number when the market is open. You have to be always open to new options to improve the squad. There are obvious situations where we need to sign players. A winger for example, we definitely need to sign a winger, but there are other situations where we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what is the cost, how we also see the players we have."
