Liverpool went all in on Yan Diomande and still came up short.
The Reds named the versatile winger as their priority transfer target this summer, earmarking him as Mohamed Salah’s successor.
In a bid to trump rivals to his signature, they moved quickly. A €100million proposal was sent to RB Leipzig. Multiple journalists had the 2024/25 Premier League champions leading the race for the 19-year-old’s signature and with club-to-club negotiations underway, a deal appeared to be a matter of when and not if.
Then, almost out of nowhere, the Ivory Coast international made his intentions clear. Anfield wasn’t his preferred destination. He wanted to join the back-to-back European champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
Just like that, Liverpool had to pivot their entire transfer window.
Their top target was going elsewhere. They’d wasted months courting him and now the entire world knows they have €100million to spend on a right-winger meaning negotiations are going to be difficult.
The winger market doesn’t favour buying clubs right now. There’s a demand for attackers across the board and premiums are being added to valuations as selling clubs look to eke out a little more money in what is quickly becoming a perfect environment for them to do business in.
There are opportunities for the Reds to strengthen though and the World Cup has been an ideal for them to do a bit of window shopping.
A few attackers have caught the eye in North America too.
Crysencio Summerville
The West Ham winger was believed to be on Liverpool’s radar last summer when Arne Slot was at the helm. His second season with West Ham was better than his first with the Dutchman netting five goals and two assists for the relegated side.
The 24-year-old versatile completed almost 50% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League and his form has attracted a number of teams.
Aston Villa and Manchester United have been linked with the £50million-rated winger recently. The Dutch may have crashed out of the World Cup on penalties, losing to Morocco, but Summerville was one of their standout performers with two goals and two assists across his 254 minutes on the pitch.
His form here coupled with Diomande’s decision could’ve catapulted him up Liverpool’s wishlist. The Reds like players with Premier League experience and they regularly revisit old interests. Summerville ticks both boxes.
The fact he’s reasonably priced at £50million also makes him an intriguing option for a Liverpool side in dire need of attacking reinforcements. They could, in theory, add another attacker with the money saved on Diomande.
Antonio Nusa
Nusa is another former target for the Reds who, according to reports, they have kept an eye on.
The focus this season for the masses when watching RB Leipzig has been Diomande but the 21-year-old has quietly been going about his business, finishing the campaign with four goals and three assists.
His creativity deserved more with the Norway international finishing the season with an expected assists (xA) total of 5.16.
He’s an effective dribbler too, completing almost 60% of his attempted dribbles in the Bundesliga. Nusa is the type of signing Liverpool would’ve made in the early years of Jurgen Klopp. He’s undervalued in an overvalued market and this makes him a value for money option.
The RB Leipzig No7 is versatile, robust and has scalable numbers. In a better team, he’s scoring more goals and assisting more chances. He’d be much more of a threat.
Of course, he’s not an out-and-out right-winger, spending most of his time in Germany on the left, but he’s intelligent enough and technically secure enough to not just be used on the right but to impress on that flank, especially in the right set-up.
With Andoni Iraola at the helm, Nusa could thrive for the Reds.
Vinícius Júnior
This one will divide opinion.
Vinicius is seen as a big, disruptive character at times. There’s a reason Real Madrid haven’t tied him down to a new deal and are apparently shopping him around this summer.
His current contract ends in 2027 and there’s been interest in him from Saudi Arabia. He turned that down previously. Liverpool tried to sign the Brazilian before his move to the Spanish capital.
While it’s doubtful they could match his salary expectations, or make Madrid an offer they simply cannot refuse, the Reds have shown a willingness to spend big if they feel they can get the best players for that position.
A left-sided attacker is a target, that’s why there’s interest in Bradley Barcola, but why not test the waters with Vinicius.
He has four goals and an assist at the World Cup already and finished last season with 16 goals and five assists in LaLiga. The 25-year-old is one of the elite forwards in the world and he could be available.
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
- World Cup betting guide
- Group A: Mexico; South Africa; South Korea; Czechia
- Group B: Canada; Bosnia; Qatar; Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
- Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; Turkiye
- Group E: Germany; Curacao; Ivory Coast; Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands; Japan; Sweden; Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Iran; New Zealand
- Group H: Spain; Cape Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
- Group I: France; Senegal; Iraq; Norway
- Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
- Group K: Portugal; DR Congo; Uzbekistan; Colombia
- Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama
- Outright preview
- Golden Boot preview
- Golden Ball preview
- FREE World Cup wallchart
- FREE World Cup sweepstake kit
- World Cup: All you need to know
- Fixtures, results and live scores
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