Claims of Liverpool ‘agreement’ to sign £87.7m-rated winger debunked as Man Utd explode into race | OneFootball

TEAMtalk understands that RB Leipzig sensation, Yan Diomande, has not agreed a deal or given his word to Liverpool or any club about his future, despite mounting speculation and interest from Europe’s elite – though he is a player to keep a very close eye on ahead of the summer window.

Diomande, rated by Red Bull as highly as any player they have ever developed and their best discovery since Erling Haaland, is emerging as one of the most wanted young talents in world football.

The 19-year-old has made a remarkable start to his career in Europe, having initially joined Spanish minnows Leganes after rejecting approaches from BlueCo, Crystal Palace, and Rangers. His decision to move to Spain proved inspired, as just six months later, he was snapped up by Leipzig.

Initially brought in to compete with the likes of Antonio Nusa and Johan Bakayoko, Diomande has quickly become one of Leipzig’s standout performers and is now regarded as one of the Bundesliga’s most coveted players in years.

As we previously revealed, Liverpool are the club to have done the most work on Diomande, who carries a price tag of at least €100million (£87.7m, $118.5m).

Despite reports claiming a personal agreement is in place for him to join Liverpool, sources with knowledge of the player’s situation have dismissed these suggestions.

“As it stands nothing is agreed. The only thing we currently know is that Yan is determined to help Leipzig finish in the top-four before then focussing on the World Cup with Ivory Coast. There is no denying the interest, nobody has. But let’s see how the coming months pan out,” a source close to Diomande’s camp exclusively told us.

Liverpool are not alone in their pursuit. We have previously confirmed that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United have all watched Diomande, along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.

One top-ranking scout from a leading European club explained to us why so many clubs areactively watching him: “With Diomande, unlike most – there is no major back catalogue, he has only been playing top level football for just over 12-months. So clubs are now doing all the work they can on him.”

We can also confirm that Bayern Munich retain a strong interest in Diomande, though the German champions are wary of his escalating value. However, sources insist not to discount Bayern at this stage.

Everything points towards Diomande moving to an elite club, but his next move hinges on who is willing to match his huge price tag.

Meanwhile, some Liverpool supporters have demanded Arne Slot to hand more minutes to young winger Rio Ngumoha, amid the lacklustre form of Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Some stated that Ngumoha “did more in 20 minutes” than Salah or Gakpo did against Forest on Sunday, and that he is “a far better footballer” than Gakpo in particular.

In other news, well-known reporter Fabrizio Romano has released an update on Slot, and whether Liverpool’s chiefs could relieve him of his duties.