Liverpool's second bid for Yan Diomande — reportedly approaching €100m — wasn't enough. RB Leipzig have made it clear: the number they want is closer to €130m, and they're not blinking first.
That might sound audacious for a 19-year-old with fewer than 50 top-flight appearances and zero European football on his CV. But context matters. Diomande cost Leipzig just €20m from Leganes last summer. In one Bundesliga season, he produced 20 goal involvements (12 goals, 8 assists), won the division's young player of the season award, and is currently representing Ivory Coast at the World Cup. Leipzig's internal target when they signed him was to reach a €100m valuation within two years. He's there in one.
Why Leipzig hold all the cards
The timing of this negotiation suits Leipzig almost perfectly. After a dismal 2024-25 season — seventh in the Bundesliga, no European football, forced sales of Sesko, Openda and Simons — they rebuilt, qualified for the Champions League by finishing third, and have largely solved their budget problems. They no longer need to sell under pressure.
That financial breathing room is exactly why the asking price has crept north of €100m. In January, they wouldn't even discuss it. Now they will — but only at a number that reflects both Diomande's output and their own strengthened position. Champions League qualification doesn't just earn them UEFA money; it earns them leverage.
PSG are watching. Manchester United and Tottenham both looked at this situation in January and walked away when the €100m figure surfaced. Liverpool have stayed, which tells you something about how seriously they want him — and how confident they are in the market logic that justifies the fee.
The market has already moved past this debate
Liverpool themselves have spent €95m on Ekitike, €125m on Wirtz, and €145m on Isak in the last twelve months. In that spending environment, €130m for a 20-year-old winger who is already operating at Bundesliga level and turning heads at a World Cup isn't an outlier — it's roughly what the market expects.
The question for Liverpool isn't whether Diomande is worth the fee in some abstract sense. It's whether they'll meet it before someone else does. Any odds on Liverpool landing him this summer should be weighed against the gap that still exists between their current offer and what Leipzig are actually willing to accept.
Leipzig activated his release clause from Leganes quickly because they knew bigger clubs were coming. They were right then. They're not rushing now.
