Yan Diomande clarifies his Liverpool comment amid Man Utd and Arsenal interest
RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande has dialled down his comments on Liverpool being a ‘dream move’ for him, as a string of top clubs circle the winger.
The 19-year-old made the move to the Bundesliga from Leganes in Spain and things have been going very nicely for him since his 2025 switch.
He cost RB Leipzig €20m (£17.4m) last summer and has already scored eight times in the German top flight and 10 in all competitions.
His latest goal came in the 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg on Sunday, while his most eye-catching performance came with a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Frankfurt in December.
The Ivory Coast international’s performances have reportedly caught the attention of Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are also thought to be interested and their chances of signing him appeared to be hugely boosted by recent comments from the teenager.
Speaking in a recent TikTok video, Diomande said: ‘Yes I do, I want to play at Anfield and I want to play for Liverpool. I’m a big fan of Liverpool.
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‘I’m a big fan of Liverpool because my father’s dream is to see me play at Anfield. So that’s my dream.
‘You know, to fulfil my father’s dream is a dream for me too.’
The Ivorian has since rowed back a bit on those comments, making it clear it was more his dad’s dream for him to go to Liverpool, rather than his own.
Diomande told BILD: ‘People made it out to be my dream club. But first and foremost, it’s my dad’s favourite club.
‘It was always his great wish to see me there someday because he loves the atmosphere at Anfield. He always raved about Steven Gerrard. I was too young to see him play. We didn’t even have a TV at home for a long time. I have a lot of respect for Liverpool, but my dream club right now is Leipzig.’
Sky Germany report that Bayern Munich are ‘monitoring the situation closely’ and Diomande admits it is nice to know the Bundesliga giants are interested.
‘It’s always nice to hear something like that,’ he said. ‘But I haven’t spoken to anyone from Bayern. It’s not the right time for that. I’m happy here in Leipzig and want to remain fully focused.’
RB Leipzig managing director Marcel Schafer spoke of interest in Diomande during the winter transfer window and suggested the club does not want to let him go in the summer either.
‘It is our aim to keep players with us for longer than just one year, because otherwise you don’t achieve any continuity,’ Schafer, recently told Kicker.
‘Yan is a very good player, everyone knows that.’
Diomande’s talents have been talked up by Manchester United star Amad Diallo, who plays alongside the teenager for Ivory Coast.
On their way to a quarter-final elimination at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, Amad said of his talented teammate
‘Our game is first and foremost about fighting,’ Amad said. ‘Everyone tries to contribute to the team, and then we have this understanding on the pitch.
‘We’re also very close off the pitch, so that makes things easier on the pitch. And we’re selfless: we don’t play for ourselves, nobody tries to be man of the match.
‘If I have the opportunity to pass to him, I pass to him; if he has the opportunity to pass to me, he passes to me. That’s what a great nation, a great team, is all about. You have to move forward together to win this competition.
‘It’s not enough to have one player; you need eleven on the pitch, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Yan is a very good player, everyone knows that.’
‘A lot of people told me I absolutely had to play for Chelsea’
Diomande’s young career could have taken a very different path, having had trials at Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Rangers, with the chance to move to Stamford Bridge but making the unlikely choice of joining Leganes instead.
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‘I was scouted at an international tournament. To prepare for a professional career in Europe, I moved to an academy in Florida. Two years later, I had my first trials with Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Rangers,’ he told RBLive.
‘It was a difficult time. I felt like for many people, it was all about money.
‘A lot of people told me I absolutely had to play for Chelsea. Then I stopped everything and made a decision for myself. I knew the president of Leganés; he had helped with my move to the USA.
‘Suddenly, I was faced with a choice: Leganés or Chelsea? It was risky, but luckily, it was the right decision. I think patience is very important in football. It’s not always just about money. If you play well, it will come naturally. I’m young; I need to play to increase my sporting value, to improve. And I wouldn’t get that on the bench.’
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/02/16/yan-diomande-clarifies-liverpool-comment-amid-man-utd-arsenal-interest-26930633/