Liverpool close to signing £112m star

When the World Cup comes along, you can bet your bottom dollar that one or two unknown talents are going to emerge and attract the attention of Europe’s elite outfits.

In North America this year, Moroccan teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi is quickly emerging as football’s latest future superstar, and Liverpool have joined the line of suitors hoping to secure his signature.

With Andoni Iraola now in charge, FSG have clarity over Liverpool’s direction. It’s been a poor year in the Premier League for the Reds, who have sacked Arne Slot and now look to climb their way back into title contention.

Bouaddi would be a fantastic addition, strengthening Liverpool’s midfield with an all-encompassing star. But he’s not the only emergent player on the Reds’ radar.

Liverpool close to completing big-money signing

Liverpool have a number of creases to iron out before the end of the summer transfer window, and while Bouaddi would reinforce the midfield, many would argue that the frontline requires the most attention.

Mohamed Salah is leaving, and replacing him is not going to be easy.

Bradley Barcola is high on Liverpool’s shortlist, but the France international favours the left side, so he probably shouldn’t be FSG’s first port of call.

According to German outlet Fussball Daten, Liverpool are close to completing a move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande in what would be a stunning deal, with the 19-year-old also wanted by Paris Saint-Germain, football’s biggest force right now.

The report notes that the Reds are making the biggest push to sign the Ivorian and and are ‘close to completing a transfer’ having had daily talks with his representatives.

Diomande hasn’t been on the major stage for very long, but he is already emerging as one of the best in the business, unstoppable on the ball. Leipzig don’t want to sell, though, and have priced him at €130m (£112m) – a figure which may well rise to £130m.

Why Diomande can be Liverpool’s most exciting signing

Diomande is young and inexperienced, but he keeps on ticking boxes, making a stunning introduction to the World Cup for Ivory Coast on Sunday evening.

For Leipzig this season, Diomande scored 13 goals and assisted ten more across all competitions. He has established himself as an incipient superstar, for sure, and could now take the next step by joining Liverpool, whose new Iraola-led system demands such a high-octane profile.

Those in the know believed Diomande would make a big impression at the World Cup, and he has started on strong footing indeed. The Ivorian’s pace and power down the right flank makes him a force to be reckoned with, and given that he has “the finishing ability of Sadio Mane“, according to The Redmen TV’s Dan Clubbe, it’s hard to see how he wouldn’t hit the ground running at Liverpool.

Bouaddi has also enjoyed himself over the pond so far, but Diomande is a generational talent, and he proved this against Ecuador, bringing an attacking flavour that has been decidedly absent at Liverpool this season.

His performance against Ecuador in the World Cup was impressive, but the rising star has been producing similar results throughout the course of the campaign, creating 17 big chances in the Bundesliga and completing 3.6 dribbles on average each game.

As journalist Bence Bocsak says, “he’s a superstar“, already so accomplished and mature, ready to take the baton from Salah and lead the Liverpool revival.

With that in mind, could Diomande be even more exciting than Bouaddi? After all, if he succeeds, he will excel in the place of a Liverpool legend, someone deemed as irreplaceable by many.

Bouaddi is paralleling Diomande in bursting onto the scene in North America right now, but the Ivorian might just take the cake when assessing who would be the standout signing for Liverpool this summer.

But if sporting director Richard Hughes can get both deals over the line, Liverpool will be in a very strong position indeed.