Why Yan Diomande Could Be Arne Slot's Next Game-Changer

By Tahmid Habib

Yan Diomande’s rise feels almost overnight. Barely a few months into his first Bundesliga season, the 18-year-old RB Leipzig winger has gone from a quiet signing out of Leganés to one of the most talked about youngsters in Europe, and Liverpool are right at the front of the queue watching him closely.

What’s made Diomande so hard to ignore is how explosive his football has become. Leipzig threw him in at the deep end with a debut against Bayern Munich, and instead of shrinking, he tore the game open with fearless dribbling and a confidence you don’t usually see from teenagers who were in the Spanish second tier not long ago. Every week since, he’s added something new to the highlight reel: bursting runs down the flank, defenders being twisted out of shape and the kind of directness Arne Slot has always appreciated in a wide forward.

Liverpool’s interest makes perfect sense. With the club planning the next stage of their attack, Diomande’s profile fits almost everything the recruitment team look for: young, fast, hungry, and nowhere near his peak. People around the club say Liverpool have been paying close attention to his ball carrying, which is already among the best in the Bundesliga this season. There’s a spark to him, that raw unpredictability you saw in early Sadio Mane or Luis Diaz before they were fully polished.

The challenge is the price. Leipzig are never shy when it comes to valuing their talent, and this time they seem ready to push things further than ever, reportedly demanding around €100 million. That alone explains why only the biggest clubs are in the mix. Tottenham are also interested, but there’s a feeling Liverpool’s approach is more patient and more detailed. Spurs want an immediate starter, while Liverpool seem to see Diomande as someone they can shape into a long-term star.

There are still areas he needs to work on. His crossing isn’t always reliable, and like most young wingers he sometimes fades in and out of games. But Liverpool have never been afraid of taking on a player with rough edges if the core talents are special, and Diomande definitely has that. He has pace you can’t teach, confidence that doesn’t look forced, and the ability to play on either wing, which suits the fluid way Slot rotates his forwards.

Whether a move happens in 2026 depends on a lot of things: how strongly Leipzig resist, how far Liverpool are willing to go financially, and how quickly Diomande continues to develop. But the interest is real and growing. Liverpool have a habit of spotting players just before they explode in value, and watching Diomande glide past fullbacks with the calmness of someone who doesn’t yet know his own limits, you can see why he’s becoming a name to watch at Anfield.

For now, he remains Leipzig’s newest gem. But if he keeps performing like this, it won’t be long before Liverpool’s curiosity turns into something much more serious.