Why Iraola is leading Liverpool talks to sign £130m winger

Liverpool still have some big creases to smooth out in the summer transfer window, but there’s no question that Domimik Szoboszlai‘s anticipated new contract at the club is a major boost at the start of the Andoni Iraola era.

Szoboszlai was the difference-maker for Arne Slot’s struggling side last season, the one who took some initiative and spearheaded the way forward. Liverpool just about clambered their way into the Champions League; without the Hungarian midfielder, it’s hard to see where the inspiration would have come from.

Whether the Anfield side find themselves competing for titles during Iraola’s first term at the helm remains to be seen, but FSG are taking the right steps, and renewing Liverpool’s vows with Szoboszlai could be just as important as any external deal this summer.

However, there is no question that the new coach needs signings to lift Liverpool back up. It’s a shame that top target Yan Diomande won’t be among the arrivals, with his World Cup form only consolidating his reputation as one of the most exciting wingers in the world.

How Yan Diomande performed at the World Cup

Liverpool thought they were closing in on a deal to sign Diomande this summer, but the RB Leipzig winger has intimated his desire to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Of course, whether he will get his wish is another question: Leipzig are determined to keep hold of the 19-year-old, who scored 13 goals and supplied ten assists last season.

A barnstorming, rip-roaring winger, Diomande has the potential to develop into one of the world’s finest players, and he certainly showed that he has such quality at his disposal, thriving for Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

Few attackers manage to offer such a deadly threat in the final third while winning ridiculous numbers of duels and beating so many opponents with fast dribbling. He is the complete package, already.

But Liverpool will not sign him this summer, and that is just the hard truth of it. The wait for a Mohamed Salah replacement rages on, and while Anfield director Richard Hughes has compiled a shortlist of targets, the latest addition might just be the most exciting yet.

Liverpool now in talks to sign Diomande alternative

Bradley Barcola of PSG is still among the top summer targets at Liverpool, but the France attacker primarily features off the left side, and given that he has been priced at £128m, it might not be the most prudent signing for FSG to make.

Instead, Liverpool could target Bournemouth’s Rayan, who was one of the Premier League’s brightest emergent talents last season, joining from Vasco da Gama in Brazil for £25m in January.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have recently made contact with the Cherries over a possible deal for 19-year-old Rayan, who worked under Iraola’s wing last season. Many conversations have taken place at Anfield over a possible deal, with the new coach at the heart of them.

So many players struggle to acclimatise to the English game, especially during the early days. Not Rayan, who scored five goals and provided two assists across 15 outings, 13 starts, and impressed with his fleet-footed dribbling, decision-making in key areas and physicality.

Make no mistake, this is an elite talent, and he has been described as “a huge talent destined for great things” by scout Jacek Kulig. He is arguably one of the most exciting young attackers in the world, perhaps even more so than Diomande for Leipzig.

Diomande dazzled for his nation this summer, but Rayan was also a brilliant bright spark for Brazil, completing 86% of his dribbles and winning 59% of his duels. He showed that he can play excellent stuff on the biggest stage, and it’s clearly caught a few eyes over in Liverpool.

Rayan has limited experience in the Premier League, but you could say the same thing for Diomande over in Germany. The fact that Rayan enjoyed such an emphatic start in England perhaps outweighs the Ivorian’s impact over the past year.

Either would be a credit to the team that Iraola is trying to build, but in Rayan, Liverpool might end up with the better signing.