Liverpool dreams dashed with £78m offer not enough to seal sensational transfer

A winger’s dream of signing for Liverpool has been iced if the comments of a senior and high-ranking official are anything to go by, with Fabrizio Romano also proven wrong.

Liverpool are not expected to sanction any signings this month, and instead, are gearing up for another colossal spend in consecutive summers.

Transfer insider, Dean Jones, brought news on Monday of which positions the Reds aim to address when making four or even five ‘significant’ signings.

One is in the wide positions in the final third, and Liverpool are among those understood to be showing interest in RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande. Tottenham and Manchester United are also keen.

Leipzig paid just €20m when signing the right-footed winger from Spanish side Leganes last summer. He’s returned figures of seven goals and four assists in just 1,161 minutes of action this term, meaning he’s providing a goal contribution roughly once every 100 minutes.

Those are eye-opening numbers for a player in a major European league who let’s not forget, is still a teenager.

Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed Tottenham failed with an audacious attempt to snap Diomande up this month.

That boded well for Liverpool, especially after Diomande publicly stated his dream is to sign for the Reds.

On January 10 he said: “I want to play at Anfield, I want to play for Liverpool. I’m a big Liverpool fan. My father’s dream is to see me play for Liverpool.”

Romano then declared on his YouTube channel: “If you ask me do I think Yan Diomande will move in the summer? Yes.”

However, the issue for any buying club is Diomande’s deal at Leipzig does NOT contain a release clause.

And given the Ivorian is contracted until 2030, the Bundesliga side hold all the aces in any potential negotiations.

Now, in quotes carried by The Athletic, Red Bull’s managing director, Oliver Mintzlaff, insisted that not even a bid of €90m / £78m will convince Leipzig to sell Diomande in 2026, and that the winger is fully expected to remain in situ for the 2026/27 campaign.

“With such a young player that we just signed, you can’t give him away after just one year,” declared Mintzlaff.

“In recent years, RB Leipzig has worked out that even top players can certainly stay longer. As chairman of the supervisory board, I would say that he will still be there next season, even if an offer of €80million or €90m comes.”

As such, and if Mintzlaff sticks to his guns, clubs like Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs may have to wait until the summer of 2027 at the earliest before moving for Diomande.

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Latest Liverpool news – Slot sack / Loanee returning / Centre-back signing

In other news, a trusted Liverpool source has revealed FSG’s plans regarding sacking Arne Slot after Anfield turned on the Dutchman and a series of pitiful statistics came to light.

Elsewhere, two separate sources have confirmed a Liverpool loanee – it’s not Harvey Elliott – will return to Anfield in the coming days, and a shock new plan for next season has been tipped.

Finally, and while Liverpool fans are still reeling after missing out on signing Marc Guehi, the Anfield faithful might take solace in the fact that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have already signed a centre-back in the January transfer window, although the latest comments about him could raise concerns.