Liverpool reach ‘agreement’ to sign £88m Salah replacement as Bayern ‘pivot’ to £65m Reds forward…

Liverpool have reached a ‘personal agreement’ to acquire RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, who is linked with Bayern Munich, as per reports from Germany.

Diomande is arguably the most sought-after young forward in Europe, with a valuation of approximately £88 million.

The Ivory Coast international has been associated with Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United in recent months, while Bayern has also shown significant interest.

This season, he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 22 Bundesliga matches, positioning him as a potential high-value transfer for Leipzig.

Versatile enough to play on either flank, Diomande is seen as a player for both immediate impact and future potential, and he is reportedly being considered as a long-term successor to Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.

At just 19 years old, he could also fulfill the role of the elite forward that Arsenal is seeking, although Arne Slot’s team seems to be ahead in the pursuit of his signature.

Bayern, as expected, is also in contention, as they consistently aim to recruit the top Bundesliga talents from their domestic competitors.

Nevertheless, it has been suggested that the German champions may face a setback with Diomande and could shift their focus to a Liverpool player as an alternative—an ironic move that would help finance the teenager’s transfer to Anfield.

A source from Bayern on X (via CaughtOffside) indicates that Cody Gakpo is now a target following Diomande’s ‘rejection’, with the club believing he could excel in “the Bundesliga’s open transitional spaces,” similar to how former Reds forward Luis Diaz has performed this season.

It is reported that the Bavarian giants are contemplating a shift towards Gakpo, as some members of the club’s board suspect that Liverpool has a personal agreement with Diomande.

The report states:

Internally at Bayern, discussions are intensifying, as I exclusively disclosed weeks ago after Yan Diomande’s refusal, regarding a shift towards Cody Gakpo as a left-wing alternative. Influential figures within the club are convinced he would excel in the Bundesliga’s open transitional spaces, much like Luis Diaz.

Recently, new tensions have emerged due to fresh indications, including signals interpreted from Gakpo’s representatives, leading some board members to increasingly suspect that the Premier League club with a personal agreement with Diomande might actually be Liverpool. However, this remains an internal interpretation rather than confirmed information and is still being approached with caution at the executive level.

Reports suggest Liverpool could receive £65m for Gakpo, who has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances this season, which would effectively finance the acquisition of the player who turned down Bayern.

The ironic twist is that Bayern could inadvertently fund that very transfer by paying up to £65 million, approximately €75 million, to acquire Cody Gakpo from Liverpool, thereby financing the transfer of the player who initially rejected them. This scenario highlights how quickly leverage can shift at the top of the market.

Even within Sabener Straße, there are individuals asserting that they would ultimately be comfortable with such an outcome, provided the investment ensures immediate quality and impactful performance on the pitch.