Liverpool's pursuit of Yan Diomande is already a hard negotiation, and RB Leipzig are treating it that way. Marcel Schafer says they do not have to accept any offer, Liverpool reportedly saw a €100m (£86.7m) bid rejected, and Diomande says his contract runs until 2030.

The winger's numbers explain why Leipzig are standing firm. He posted 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances in his debut season, a return that gives the club a strong reason to hold their price rather than blink early.

Leipzig's position on the deal

Schafer's line was blunt. "We don't have to say yes to any offer whatsoever. Yan doesn't have a release clause. That means we're in the driver's seat and everyone else is in the back seat," he told mirror.co.uk.

Diomande's own words back up the same picture from the player's side. "My contract here is until 2030, so I have four more years. What's going to happen afterwards? I don't know. I am a Leipzig player," he said.

That is a strong position for Leipzig, especially with a player who already delivered in his first season and has shown he can justify a premium fee. The move from Leganes to Leipzig cost £17.3m last summer, and the club now value him at €120m (£104m).

The World Cup stage

The World Cup is the other moving part here. Diomande was man of the match in Ivory Coast's win over Ecuador, and that sort of display will only keep him in the shop window.

He also carried a 7.2 rating from that game, while his 9.6 against FC St. Pauli earlier in the run underlines that the level is not coming from one isolated performance. Liverpool are not just trying to buy a talented winger, they are trying to buy him before more public attention pushes the price higher.

Richard Hughes and Liverpool will know the market reality here. They spent £116.5m on Florian Wirtz last summer, but Leipzig's stance suggests Diomande sits in a different bracket. The World Cup can still cool things down if he goes quiet, but Leipzig have every reason to wait before moving on their valuation.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →