Liverpool FC are reportedly ready to splash out more than €100m on a Bundesliga star to replace Mohamed Salah

The report states that “very concrete talks” are already underway between Liverpool officials and Diomande’s agency. While the Premier League side has not yet spoken directly to Leipzig, that could happen soon.

Liverpool would still need to pay a hefty fee for the Ivory Coast international, who is under contract at RB Leipzig until 2030. Sky reports that Leipzig are discussing a contract extension with Diomande’s representatives, and the club, currently third in the Bundesliga and on course for Champions League qualification partly thanks to the Ivorian, would demand a fee exceeding €100 million for their prized attacker.

If completed, the move would make Diomande the fifth Bundesliga player to depart for a fee of around €100 million, following Kai Havertz (€100m, Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea, 2020), Florian Wirtz (€125m, Leverkusen to Liverpool, 2025), Jude Bellingham (€127m, BVB to Real Madrid) and Ousmane Dembélé (2017, €148 million, BVB to Barcelona) to become the fifth Bundesliga player to break the €100 million mark.

Only last year he joined Leipzig from CD Leganés for €20 million, and he has since established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s brightest prospects, delivering 13 goals and eight assists in 32 appearances this term. He made his Ivory Coast debut in October and could face Germany in this summer’s World Cup group stage.

His rapid progress has attracted interest from several European heavyweights. Liverpool are currently favourites, but Paris Saint-Germain are also reported to have held recent talks with the player’s representatives.

Diomande has made it clear that Liverpool is his boyhood club. “I’m a huge Liverpool fan. My father dreams of seeing me play at Anfield one day. That’s my dream too – and I want to make it come true,” he stated in a January TikTok video.

Liverpool have also been linked with another Ivorian in the Bundesliga, TSG Hoffenheim’s Bazoumana Toure, who is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah. Bayern Munich are credited with an interest in both Toure and Diomande.

Qualifying for the Champions League remains a priority for Liverpool, and fifth place in the Premier League—their current standing—would secure that spot. Their chances improved over the weekend as rivals Chelsea lost 0-1 to Manchester United, and the following day Liverpool edged past Everton 2-1 in the Merseyside derby. With five matchdays left, the Reds now sit seven points clear of the Blues.

Even so, respected journalist David Ornstein told The Athletic FC podcast that Klopp would likely stay on even if the club missed out on Champions League football. The Dutchman, under contract until 2027, had been under growing pressure after a disappointing campaign.

During the season’s turbulence, he even had a high-profile falling-out with star forward Mohamed Salah in December. Although the pair soon patched things up, the Egyptian announced at the end of March that he would depart a year before his contract expires. “Unfortunately, the day has now come. This is the first part of my farewell. I will leave Liverpool at the end of the season,” Salah said.