£69m Salah replacement ‘reserves house’ ahead of Liverpool transfer with Diomande deal at dead end | OneFootball

Liverpool are now the ‘frontrunners’ to get a deal for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams over the line to replace Mohamed Salah, according to reports.

The Reds are looking to get a deal for at least one winger over the line with Mohamed Salah to depart Liverpool when his next move is finalised.

Cody Gakpo and other forward players have also been struggling for form this season and there are rumours Liverpool could even bring in two wingers.

RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has seemed to be their top target for a while now, with a several other clubs believed to be interested in his signature.

However, the latest reports have indicated that Diomande is now set to stay put, at least if RB Leipzig get their wish, with the Bundesliga side insisting that the Ivory Coast international is ‘going nowhere’.

There are also rumours of a prohibitive €150m (£130m) asking price for Diomande, which seems incredibly high for a largely unproven 19-year-old.

When asked about rumours about his huge price tag and a potential transfer, Diomande said: “Yeah, I heard. But I don’t know if it’s going to be okay for every­one to pay that.

“I’m not going to say Paris, Liverpool or Real (Madrid). But it would be a good idea to play for big clubs. Everyone has ambitions and every day you want to go higher.

“So, it was Leganés, today I’m a Leipzig player. I’m not going to hide my desires or my dreams. I want to play for a big club, of course.”

Williams has ‘house reserved to expedite his move to Liverpool’

And now reports in Spain claim that Atletic Bilbao winger Williams ‘has a house reserved to expedite his move to Liverpool’ with the Basque side ‘beginning to accept’ his departure.

Liverpool are looking to ‘capitalise’ on Williams’ poor form in La Liga this season and the Premier League side are now the ‘frontrunners to secure the signing’.

The Reds ‘have been searching for some time for an explosive, young, and game-changing player to prepare the attacking successor to Mohamed Salah, and Nico fits that profile perfectly’.

Bilbao are ‘willing to lower its initial demands to facilitate the transfer’ amid speculation they were looking for a club to pay his €95m release clause – but they ‘would now accept a formula closer to €60m plus another €20m in add-ons’.

The four-year contract on offer to Williams ‘is said to be enormous’ with Liverpool happy to pay a ‘much more manageable’ €80m for the Spain international.