Liverpool Eyes Yan Diomande Amid Schjelderup Interest
Liverpool and Tottenham are circling one of Norway’s rising World Cup names, but the real battle at Anfield still centres on a different winger with a far heavier price tag.
Liverpool rebuild the flanks
Liverpool have already made their first big move out wide, winning the race with Newcastle United for Victor Munoz in a €40million (£34.5m) deal. The 22-year-old arrives to push Cody Gakpo on the left, giving the Dutchman genuine competition and Jürgen Klopp’s successor a fresh option in the wide channels.
They need it. Mohamed Salah has gone, walking away on a free transfer and ripping a huge hole out of Liverpool’s right flank. On top of that, Gakpo may be asked to spend time through the middle to support Alexander Isak until Hugo Ekitike returns from an Achilles injury. The knock-on effect is clear: Liverpool’s wide department is being rebuilt on the fly.
That is why the club’s recruitment team remains locked on Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig, while quietly running the rule over another emerging talent: Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup.
Schjelderup draws Premier League eyes
Reports in Italy claim Liverpool and Tottenham are both tracking Schjelderup, fresh from his breakthrough on the World Cup stage with Norway. The 22-year-old featured in Norway’s first two group games, a natural progression after a standout season at club level.
Under Jose Mourinho, Benfica went unbeaten in the Primeira Liga, and Schjelderup played his part with 10 goals and seven assists in 43 appearances. It was a campaign that underlined his versatility in the final third and his eye for goal from the left-hand side, even if the unbeaten run still did not deliver a league title.
Benfica originally paid €14m to bring him in. Those days are gone. Early suggestions placed his value at around €30m (£26m), “more than double” that initial outlay. Yet in Portugal, Record report that Benfica have set the bar far higher, insisting they will only listen to offers of €40m or above.
Tottenham have now “burst into the race”, according to that same outlet, joining Liverpool in the chase. Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Como are also watching the situation, turning Schjelderup into one of the most closely monitored young forwards in Europe this summer.
Diomande: the real obsession
For Liverpool, though, Schjelderup is not the main event. Diomande is.
Talk on Thursday suggested Liverpool had already gone back in with a second offer for the Leipzig winger, raising their bid from €100m (£86m) to a staggering €116m (£100m) after the first proposal was rejected.
That story did not last long. Sky Germany’s Philipp Hinze moved quickly to shut it down, calling the claims “not true” and stressing there has been no second offer so far. Inside Anfield, the debate continues: whether to push again, and how high to go.
Figures of €116-120m (up to £104m) are on the table as Liverpool weigh up their next move. A bid at the top end of that range would force Leipzig to think hard, but even that might not break their resolve.
Back on June 19, it emerged that Leipzig are holding out for a Bundesliga-record €148m (£128m). The message from Germany is blunt: they want Diomande to stay for at least one more year, and only an extraordinary offer will change that.
Two wingers, one priority
The contrast between the two targets is stark. Schjelderup is a left-sided specialist, the very zone Munoz has just strengthened. He would add depth and potential, but not necessarily solve Liverpool’s biggest tactical question.
Diomande is different. He can attack from either flank with equal menace, giving Liverpool the kind of flexibility they have just lost with Salah’s departure. For a club that thrives on fluid front threes and constant rotation of positions, that matters.
So Liverpool watch Schjelderup. Tottenham do the same. Europe’s elite hover.
But the real decision lies elsewhere: how far are Liverpool willing to go, financially and strategically, to land Diomande and reshape their attack for the post-Salah era?
