Report: Andoni Iraola is ‘actively pushing’ for blockbuster first Liverpool signing | OneFootball

Andoni Iraola is understood to be ‘actively pushing’ for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to secure him a blockbuster signing as he prepares for his first season as the Reds’ head coach.

As the summer transfer window begins, Yan Diomande would appear to be the most prominent target on the radar at Anfield, with LFC believed to be ‘optimistic’ about their chances of beating Paris Saint-Germain to the punch for the RB Leipzig winger.

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There were even reports in recent days of the Merseysiders submitting an opening bid for the 19-year-old, although these haven’t been widely corroborated as of yet.

Iraola the driving force behind Diomande transfer push

According to a report for TEAMtalk, Iraola seems highly determined to ensure that the Ivory Coast international is a Liverpool player by the end of the summer.

The Spaniard is said to be a ‘huge admirer’ of Diomande’s explosive style of play and is even claimed to be ‘actively pushing’ the Reds’ hierarchy to secure a move for the winger, who’s believed to be open to joining the Merseyside club.

Anfield chiefs have reportedly had ‘constructive dialogue’ with Leipzig regarding a potential transfer, although the Bundesliga outfit are in no hurry to sell their player and have placed a prohibitive price tag of £112m on him.

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Iraola has spoken; hopefully Hughes can deliver for him

As head coach rather than manager, Iraola doesn’t have the final say on transfers at Liverpool, but if he’s clamouring for Hughes to get a deal done for Diomande, then the sporting director must go all-out to deliver for the man in the dugout.

If the Reds can see off PSG in the race to sign the Leipzig starlet and secure a blockbuster coup for the new head coach, it’d represent a powerful statement of intent ahead of the new season.

Where the Merseysiders might hold an edge over the European champions is that the 19-year-old would surely be an immediate starter if he comes to Anfield, whereas he’d be vying with several world-class attackers for a place in Luis Enrique’s first XI at the Parc des Princes.

Iraola would surely have been dazzled by Diomande’s superb showing for Ivory Coast in their World Cup win over Ecuador a couple of days ago, and we’d suggest that the Spaniard had him in his sights well before that game in Philadelphia.

It’s a transfer saga which could run for another few weeks and take all sorts of plot twists, but hopefully it ends with the youngster filling the enormous void created by Mo Salah’s exit from Liverpool.