Why Liverpool must sign the new Sadio Mane after missing out on Diomande

It’s time to say farewell to the Yan Diomande transfer saga, with Liverpool missing out to Paris Saint-Germain on the £116m-rated Leipzig winger, who appears to have used Anfield interest to secure a move to the French capital.

A deal has not been completed, but the 19-year-old, who is out competing with Ivory Coast at the World Cup, has intimated in no uncertain terms his preference, and it looks like he will join Luis Enrique’s super-team by the end of the summer.

It’s a setback for a Liverpool side who are in transition, having replaced a beleaguered Arne Slot with Andoni Iraola at the start of June, now looking to return to title-challenging form.

But the show must go on, and Liverpool are looking at any number of alternatives.

Liverpool ready to sign Diomande alternative

Liverpool have options at the ready. Paris Saint-Germain Bradley Barcola is a long-term Anfield target, and it is anticipated that talks for the Les Bleus winger will be reopened in the coming weeks.

Liverpool’s options are open, with a plethora of further avenues to be explored by technical director Richard Hughes, but as Mohamed Salah is now only days away from the official termination of his contract on Merseyside, it’s important that the Reds sign a fitting replacement on the right flank.

They might just have such a player in mind.

According to TEAMtalk, Hughes is now exploring a move to sign Hoffenheim winger Bazamanou Toure this summer, considered a more affordable option to strengthen Iraola’s squad.

Valued at £34m, there’s definitely a case to be made that Liverpool should go down this track. Sure, Toure lacks refinement on the major stage, but he has the potential to become a superstar in the Premier League.

Toure, 20, has only just broken onto the big stage in the Bundesliga, but it’s clear that he boasts world-class potential, and while his stock might not be as high as that of his countryman Diomande, Liverpool could pull off a shrewd deal by adding him to Iraola’s squad.

Why Toure can be a Mini Diomande for Liverpool

Toure is only 20 years old, but he has already made big waves in Germany. Hailed as an “explosive winger” by scout Jacek Kulig, there is certainly something Diomande-esque about the Ivory Coast international, who could be a fantastic addition to a Liverpool attack that is starting to look quite formidable indeed.

The fleet-footed winger’s returns in front of goal in the Bundesliga last year were not quite as impressive as Diomande’s (who is also ahead of him in the pecking order for his nation), but that doesn’t mean that he can’t grow into a real superstar.

Curiously, Toure has enjoyed the lion’s share of his Bundesliga action on the left flank, though his right-footed preference suggests that Iraola could rework him into a right winger, cutting inside and becoming a deadly threat in front of goal.

While he just scored five Bundesliga goals last season, the Ivorian only missed three big chances, so there’s something for Liverpool’s new head coach to work with there, for sure.

Reporter Bence Bocsak has actually gone as far as to say that Toure is like a “young Sadio Mane“, so direct and threatening when bombing forward on the ball. If he can raise those numbers, Liverpool may land a superstar.

Toure might not be as far down the line in his development as Diomande, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe.

Given that Liverpool have already added Munoz to their ranks, this could be a shrewd signing. The sort of shrewd signing FSG like to make. The sort of signing that could take Liverpool back to the top.