Yan Diomande Shrugs Off Liverpool Transfer Speculation

Yan Diomande and Cote d’Ivoire are through to the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup, locking down a place in the Round of 32 that means they will play their next game against the runners-up of Group I on June 30th in Arlington.

With the player widely believed to be Liverpool‘s top attacking target, though, the 19-year-old found himself pressed on the possibility of a Liverpool transfer by journalists following their latest match.

“Right now I don’t know,” Diomande said when asked about his future after Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Curacao. “I’m not thinking about my future after the World Cup, I’m just trying to put all my energy into the World Cup and we will see what is going to happen after.

“I can say nothing about that, but the World Cup doesn’t happen all the time—it’s only every four year so I’m making the most of it and for all the rest we’ll have to see.”

Liverpool saw an initial bid of around €100M, with €80-90M of that fee guaranteed, rejected by RB Leipzig last week and have not yet submitted a formal second bid though the Reds are believed to be willing to go as high as €110-115M to get a deal for Diomande across the line.

Leipzig are hoping that a good World Cup might spark a bidding war or, failing that, that Diomande would consider signing a new contract and extending his stay at the Bundesliga club.