Why Liverpool want to sign £77m winger instead

Liverpool still have a range of issues to iron out over the next few months in the transfer market, with FSG pivoting from Yan Diomande following the Ivory Coast winger’s decision to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Whether RB Leipzig will let the 19-year-old winger leave is a whole ‘nother question, but there’s no question that the Reds are still in need of a Mohamed Salah replacement, with the 34-year-old Egyptian officially a free agent.

Would Diomande have been representative of the turnaround that Liverpool so desperately need? FSG will be wary of signing any old right winger, someone to cover a hole but not fill it, effectively kicking the can down the road in a fruitless bid to replace the irreplaceable.

He may well have been that attacker, but alas, Diomande will not play for Liverpool next season, barring a dramatic turn of events. The Merseysiders do not have time to waste, and swivel to Plan B.

Liverpool among favourites to sign World Cup superstar

Diomande has given PSG his blessing, but Liverpool were always prepared to turn toward alternative targets. Diomande’s signature would come at a heavy price, similar to the record-breaking outlay for Alexander Isak last summer.

Said El Mala of FC Koln, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh or LOSC Lille winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo. All transfer targets FSG have sounded out in their quest to replace Salah this summer.

However, if Liverpool opt against walking down the less-beaten track, and instead opt to move for a bona fide sensation, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior could be the one to go for.

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are among a select cluster of clubs who could sign Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar, who will become a free agent next summer.

The 25-year-old, one of the world’s most prominent wingers, is also an option for Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. PSG would not pursue a move given their superabundance of attacking quality.

Given Vini’s contract situation, he could be available for ‘just’ €90m (£77m) this summer. It’s doable for a Liverpool side desperate for new parts. In fact, even though he would demand an astronomical salary, his performances at the World Cup may confirm that the Reds would be getting bang for their buck with this one.

Why Vini Jr. would be a better signing than Diomande

Vinicius Junior has cemented himself as “one of the best wingers in the world” over the past several years, as has been noted by his new manager Jose Mourinho, a phenomenon for his nation and a force to be reckoned with at Real Madrid.

We could rain down superlatives until the cows come home, but you know who Vini Jr. is. He is one of the best to do it right now, and if Liverpool were to pull off this signing, it would expel any frustration around the failure to sign Diomande.

He is hated and he is adored, but Vini Jr. is rarely out of the headlines, and Liverpool would get their hands on one of the most emphatic forwards in the game here, with new Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho actually remarking recently that he is “one of the best wingers in the world“.

Diomande might have locked horns with Vini Jr. this weekend, had Ivory Coast stopped Erling Haaland and advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Norway got the job done, though.

Vinicius Junior would have met a threatening new attacking force, but it wouldn’t be right to call Diomande his equal – not yet, anyway.

The true mark of a superstar is not their capacity to produce magical, game-changing moments, but the consistency with which they do so. Vini Jr. is a man made for the big stage, and he has certainly demonstrated that over the past few weeks at the World Cup, Brazil’s talisman as they chase a record-extending title.

When we pare things back and look at how Liverpool need to spend their money this summer, it becomes patently clear that Iraola needs a forward who can mimic Salah’s presence, if not his output, and bring a sense of superstar power to a team in transition.

Diomande brings a kind of roundedness to his game that most forwards do not have in their locker, but Vini Jr. brings goals, a near inimitable edge in the final third that only a handful of forwards can match.

For all Diomande’s flashy pomp over the pond, he failed to score a goal, albeit an instrumental part of Les Éléphants’ attack. In fact, he failed to sting the palms of any of the four goalkeepers he faced during the tournament.

Vini Jr. is one of the best in the business. Five successive seasons he has eclipsed 20 goals for Real Madrid, running down the wing, hovering in the danger area and waiting to pounce.

If Liverpool can pull this one off, any frustration around missing out on Diomande will evaporate like a puddle under the baking summer sun.