Liverpool's interest in Yan Diomande explained as Jurgen Klopp could play key role

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Liverpool winger transfer targets include RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande as the Reds explore Mohamed Salah replacement candidates ahead of a potential summer move(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)A recurring criticism of Liverpool this season has been its shortage of pace in attacking positions.In a campaign that has seen Mohamed Salah's output dip from the extraordinary to the merely commendable, Cody Gakpo, on the opposite wing, has struggled to replicate the performances he delivered last season on the way to the Premier League title.Alexander Isak, the club's record £125m signing, has endured a season to forget on Merseyside, with injuries and fitness concerns hampering his time at the club so far. The prevailing view at Anfield is that Salah is a genuine one-off and therefore impossible to replace in any conventional sense.With 257 goals to his name, only Roger Hunt and Ian Rush have surpassed his tally in Liverpool's 134-year history, making the prospect of finding another Salah an entirely fanciful notion.Asked how he plans to maximise Isak's potential, following his arrival on Merseyside on 1 September after netting 44 goals for Newcastle United over the past two seasons, Arne Slot acknowledged that a tactical rethink might be necessary regarding the right flank that Salah has dominated since 2017."[Getting the most from Isak] is definitely part of thinking about the [Salah] replacement," the head coach said last Friday.

"Because since I have been here - and it is the same at a lot of clubs - it is mainly a left footer on the right and a right footer on the left.RB Leipzig rising star Yan Diomande is being monitored by Liverpool(Image: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)"I have seen Alex scoring also a lot from crosses which were played from the right, right footed, Trent Alexander-Arnold crosses, if you want to call them like that."So that is definitely part of how we are looking at things, but we try to sign the best possible available player who we can afford. Something else which also happens at certain clubs is: 'OK, that is the best player in the world in that position, let's try and get him.'"That is not how we work, we try and sign the best possible player who is available for us." One player whose name has been consistently mentioned since is RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande.The Reds have monitored the 19 year old winger throughout what has proven to be a breakthrough campaign for him in the Bundesliga.

A hat-trick, scored in a 6-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on 6th December, made him the youngest player in 60 years of Germany's top flight to net three goals in a single match, and his reputation has been soaring ever since.READ MORE: Arsenal VAR controversy forces Liverpool fans to revisit incident that cost Reds titleREAD MORE: Arne Slot's agent speaks out on Liverpool contract talks amid FSG pressureHe has emerged as the standout star of the Bundesliga this season, smoothing Leipzig's transition to a revamped attack following the departures of Benjamin Sesko, Xavi Simons and Luis Openda, who is currently on loan at Juventus.Liverpool have a lengthy history of doing business with Leipzig, stretching back to their pursuit of Naby Keita in the summer of 2017, when they struck an unusual arrangement to secure the Guinea playmaker the following year for what ultimately amounted to around £52m.Since then, the two clubs have collaborated on transfers for Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai and Fabio Carvalho, while also entering into discussions over the prospect of sending Harvey Elliott to Leipzig ahead of his loan move to Aston Villa on deadline day.Diomande switched his representation to American firm Roc Nation earlier this season, and the ECHO has learned that the agency are considering opening up negotiations to interested parties, Liverpool among them, this summer. Transfer fees in excess of €100m (£86.4m) have been mooted for a player who has registered 12 goals and eight assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances this season, with the influential website Transfermarkt recently recognising the remarkable progress made by the teenager through their valuation models.According to Transfermarkt, Diomande is the player whose value has soared the most across European football this season, climbing from €1.5m in June of last year, when he was plying his trade at Spanish club Leganes, to an impressive €75m at die Roten Bullen.Despite the clear potential for financial gain, Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff recently voiced his view that Leipzig should not be looking to offload the winger for any fee this summer."If I were managing director of sport, I wouldn't sell this young player," Mintzlaff told Sky Sport Germany.