Liverpool's reported £260m plan is not a single chase. Yan Diomande looks closest to the door, Bradley Barcola is the elite-cost option, and Adam Wharton has the clearest senior backing from outside Anfield.
Diomande's price fight
The sharpest part of the story is the one around Diomande. Liverpool's £86m offer was rejected by RB Leipzig, while another report has Leipzig wanting closer to £112m. That gap is wide enough to slow any deal down even before the player himself is dragged into public talk about his future.
Diomande has said he is focused on the World Cup. He told liverpoolecho.co.uk: "Right now, I don't know. I am not thinking about my future after the World Cup. I am trying to put all my energy into the World Cup and we will see what is going to happen after that. I can say nothing about."
His World Cup numbers at least show why Liverpool are watching. He has made 3 appearances and has 1 assist, with a 7.1 average rating across his recent matches. Leipzig finished 3rd in the Bundesliga with 65 points, so there is no obvious pressure on them to move cheaply.
Barcola and Wharton point in different directions
Barcola is the more glamorous name, but also the less settled one. He has won two Champions Leagues and three league titles since joining Paris Saint Germain in 2023, which tells you why he sits in the highest-cost bracket. He has also made 3 World Cup appearances for France and has 1 goal, alongside a 7.06 average rating at the tournament.
The Liverpool link here is still a report, not a confirmed move, and that distinction matters. Paris Saint Germain finished 1st in Ligue 1 with 76 points, so any sale would have to clear both sporting and financial hurdles.
Wharton feels more grounded. Crystal Palace co-owner Steve Parish said: "Look, I think Adam at some point will want to play, either in the Champions League with us, if we could make that happen, or probably with another club. He's an extraordinary talent."
That is stronger public support than Liverpool have on the other two names, even if it is not the same as a deal being close. Wharton has averaged 7.3 in his most recent run of matches, including a 93-minute final in the Conference League, and Palace have already seen him lift the Conference League, FA Cup and Community Shield.
Alisson has also been folded into the wider squad planning talk, with David Lavelle saying the goalkeeper has one year left on his contract and arguing Liverpool may want to keep him for dressing-room leadership as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk move on. That is part of the same broader rebuild talk, but the Diomande, Barcola and Wharton trio still looks like the main route through the summer.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →