Liverpool close to agreeing personal terms to sign £112m star

In 2023, Liverpool signed Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for £60m.

Then, two years later, the Reds completed a deal for Hugo Ekitike, Eintracht Frankfurt’s exciting young striker, in a deal worth an initial £69m. That summer, Liverpool completed a record-breaking move for Alexander Isak too.

Now, Andoni Iraola has spearheaded a blockbuster bid for Victor Munoz of Osasuna, and the thread that binds all this together is that all have been hijacked (or taken) from Newcastle United.

Liverpool, of course, do not have a vendetta against the Magpies, but Eddie Howe’s side will feel no less aggrieved for that. They had all but wrapped up a £35m move for the Spanish winger, who instead has completed a medical and will sign for the Anfield side.

That’s the food chain for you, but FSG’s statement of intent will not stop there. More is on the horizon.

Liverpool confident superstar winger will sign

If and when Liverpool wrap up a deal for the 22-year-old Munoz, it will not spell the end of sporting director Richard Hughes’ quest for forwards. Mohamed Salah is quitting this summer, and Hugo Ekitike will be lucky to grace the grass before the end of the calendar year.

In this, Munoz fits the bill, with running power and acceleration that will open up a new dimension down the left without blocking the pathway in front of Rio Ngumoha.

Liverpool appear to have shut the door on Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, who also favours the left. Signing the France star would be something of a gamble, given that it would negate and unsettle Ngumoha.

But the Reds are still in for an elite winger, and they appear to be prioritising the right-hand side.

Indeed, according to Sky Sports Germany’s Philipp Heinze, after seeing an initial £87m bid rejected for Yan Diomande on Thursday, are set to come back with a ‘better’ offer.

Liverpool are already aware of the personal terms it would take to convince Diomande to join. They expect no complications on the player side, providing they can agree a deal club-to-club. Previous reports have indicated it could take as much as £112m to convince RB Leipzig to sell.

PSG are also interested but are yet to submit their own bid for the player.

Why Diomande would be a more exciting signing than Munoz

Diomande and Munoz are two of the finest up-and-coming wingers in the world, but the Leipzig teenager might just take the cake, already described as a “generational talent” by journalist Bence Bocsak.

Across all competitions this season, he scored 13 goals and supplied ten more for the Bundesliga club, and now stands proud as one of football’s most sought-after stars.

Munoz is good, explosive and potent in the danger area, but Diomande is cut from finer cloth. With no disregard for the Spaniard’s skillset, Diomande has truly world-class potential, more clinical and more creative, an unrelenting dribbler with a combative side to boot.

There is a reason that Liverpool have hijacked Newcastle’s bid for Munoz, strengthening out wide without blocking off Ngumoha, but as Salah leaves Liverpool and searches for a new challenge, the need for a first-rate right sider is far greater.

Whether Liverpool manage to beat PSG is another question, but one that FSG executives would see answered sharpish, with Iraola planning for a Premier League title challenge next season.

Ambitious after this year’s woes? Most certainly, but Liverpool have punched below their weight this year, and Diomande could prove the difference in lifting Anfield back into the limelight.

He is sharp in front of goal and brings enough energy to turbo-charge the new coach’s system. There is every reason to believe that Liverpool could be onto a winner here, landing someone who even outstrips Munoz.

You’d hope he would, to be fair. Diomande will cost a pretty penny this summer, way more than double the price paid for Munoz. But he will be worth it. Liverpool have a plan, and it might just lead them back to the summit.