RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande has dialled down his comments on Liverpool being a ‘dream move’ for him, as a string of top clubs circle the winger.
The 19-year-old made the move to the Bundesliga from Leganes in Spain and things have been going very nicely for him since his 2025 switch.
He cost RB Leipzig €20m (£17.4m) last summer and has already scored eight times within the German top flight and 10 in all competitions.
His latest goal got here within the 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg on Sunday, while his most eye-catching performance got here with a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Frankfurt in December.
The Ivory Coast international’s performances have reportedly caught the eye of Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are also regarded as interested and their possibilities of signing him gave the impression to be hugely boosted by recent comments from the teenager.
Speaking in a recent TikTok video, Diomande said: ‘Yes I do, I would like to play at Anfield and I would like to play for Liverpool. I’m a giant fan of Liverpool.
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‘I’m a giant fan of Liverpool because my father’s dream is to see me play at Anfield. In order that’s my dream.
‘You recognize, to fulfil my father’s dream is a dream for me too.’
The Ivorian has since rowed back a bit on those comments, making it clear it was more his dad’s dream for him to go to Liverpool, somewhat than his own.
Diomande told BILD: ‘People made it out to be my dream club. But initially, it’s my dad’s favourite club.
‘It was at all times his great want to see me there someday because he loves the atmosphere at Anfield. He at all times raved about Steven Gerrard. I used to be too young to see him play. We didn’t also have a TV at home for a very long time. I actually have a whole lot of respect for Liverpool, but my dream club immediately is Leipzig.’
Sky Germany report that Bayern Munich are ‘monitoring the situation closely’ and Diomande admits it is sweet to know the Bundesliga giants have an interest.
‘It’s at all times nice to listen to something like that,’ he said. ‘But I haven’t spoken to anyone from Bayern. It’s not the fitting time for that. I’m joyful here in Leipzig and wish to stay fully focused.’
RB Leipzig managing director Marcel Schafer spoke of interest in Diomande through the winter transfer window and suggested the club doesn’t need to let him go in the summertime either.
‘It’s our aim to maintain players with us for longer than simply one yr, because otherwise you don’t achieve any continuity,’ Schafer, recently told Kicker.
‘Yan is a excellent player, everyone knows that.’
Diomande’s talents have been talked up by Manchester United star Amad Diallo, who plays alongside the teenager for Ivory Coast.
On their approach to a quarter-final elimination on the recent Africa Cup of Nations, Amad said of his talented teammate
‘Our game is initially about fighting,’ Amad said. ‘Everyone tries to contribute to the team, after which now we have this understanding on the pitch.
‘We’re also very close off the pitch, in order that makes things easier on the pitch. And we’re selfless: we don’t play for ourselves, no one tries to be man of the match.
‘If I actually have the chance to pass to him, I pass to him; if he has the chance to pass to me, he passes to me. That’s what an ideal nation, an ideal team, is all about. You may have to maneuver forward together to win this competition.
‘It’s not enough to have one player; you would like eleven on the pitch, and that’s what we’re attempting to do. Yan is a excellent player, everyone knows that.’
‘Numerous people told me I absolutely needed to play for Chelsea’
Diomande’s young profession could have taken a really different path, having had trials at Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Rangers, with the prospect to maneuver to Stamford Bridge but making the unlikely selection of joining Leganes as an alternative.
‘I used to be scouted at a world tournament. To arrange for an expert profession in Europe, I moved to an academy in Florida. Two years later, I had my first trials with Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Rangers,’ he told RBLive.
‘It was a difficult time. I felt like for many individuals, it was all about money.
‘Numerous people told me I absolutely needed to play for Chelsea. Then I finished every little thing and made a call for myself. I knew the president of Leganés; he had helped with my move to the USA.
‘Suddenly, I used to be faced with a selection: Leganés or Chelsea? It was dangerous, but luckily, it was the fitting decision. I believe patience may be very necessary in football. It’s not at all times nearly money. In case you play well, it would come naturally. I’m young; I want to play to extend my sporting value, to enhance. And I wouldn’t get that on the bench.’
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