Cole urges Diomande to snub PSG for Liverpool as Reds weigh alternatives

Yan Diomande remains the subject of transfer intrigue, with former Liverpool favourite Joe Cole making a passionate case for the RB Leipzig winger to choose Merseyside over Paris.

Cole's intervention comes as Liverpool continue their hunt for attacking reinforcements this summer. The Reds have made securing two new wingers their primary objective, particularly following Mohamed Salah's departure as a free agent and a disappointing campaign from their current flank options.

Having already recruited Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet, Liverpool are determined to bolster their squad further before the window shuts. Diomande had been their prime target, but the Ivory Coast international appears destined for PSG after the club's £86m opening bid fell well short of his £111m valuation.

Yet Cole believes the Leipzig star would be making a mistake by heading to the French capital. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the former Reds midfielder laid out his reasoning with characteristic directness.

"There are a lot of top-level wingers in world football right now, but Diomande is as good as I've seen; he's so explosive," Cole explained. "My advice to him as a young player is: don't bother going to PSG. Go to Liverpool because if they want you and there's a hole in the team to play, then they really need you.

"PSG don't need anybody, but maybe his heart is set on Paris. If that's the case and he backs himself, I've got no problem with that; but if Liverpool still want him, go out and convince him because I think that would be the move that suits him best."

Cole's intervention notwithstanding, Liverpool correspondent James Pearce has suggested the Diomande saga is unlikely to be revisited. Writing for The Athletic, Pearce confirmed that landing a Salah successor remains the club's priority but outlined four alternative targets worth pursuing.

Pearce also revealed that Liverpool have come to terms with the reality that wholesale summer activity was always going to prove difficult. The World Cup and new manager Arne Slot's need to properly assess his inherited talent have both played a role in delaying the transfer push.

"There was always an acceptance at Liverpool that getting most of their business done early was unrealistic this time around because of the World Cup and Iraola's need to assess the talent he's inherited," Pearce noted. "Pre-season starts at Kirkby on July 14."

The Athletic correspondent identified four names in Liverpool's thinking: PSG's Bradley Barcola, Brighton's Yankuba Minteh, Cologne's Said El Mala, and Matias Fernandez-Pardo of Lille all feature on the club's shortlist as potential solutions to their winger conundrum.