Liverpool Pursue Diomande and Eichhorn Under Iraola
Liverpool have wasted no time showing Andoni Iraola exactly how serious they are about this new era. Hours after confirming the Spaniard on a two-year deal as Arne Slot’s successor, the club’s recruitment machine is already deep into negotiations on two of Europe’s most coveted young talents.
This is not a gentle reset. It’s a hard pivot.
The departures of Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté on free transfers have ripped out three pillars of the dressing room. A squad that slid to fifth in the Premier League now needs more than minor surgery, and the message from the boardroom is clear: they will arm Iraola with a younger, more explosive core.
Diomande: the heir to Salah?
The most immediate question on Merseyside is obvious: who replaces Salah?
Liverpool have turned to RB Leipzig’s teenage winger Yan Diomande and, according to David Ornstein, are now in direct contact with the Bundesliga club over a deal. Leipzig do not want to sell. They are prepared to dig in and, if they buckle, to demand around £112m for the Ivory Coast international.
That price tells its own story.
At 19, Diomande has just delivered a breakout season that has put half of Europe on alert: 13 goals and 10 assists in his first full campaign of senior football. A wide forward with end product, not just potential. Liverpool see a live-wire attacker who can stretch defences, hurt teams in transition and grow into the role on the right flank over time.
Paris Saint-Germain are circling, but the Merseyside club are said to be ahead in the race. From the player’s side, Liverpool are in a strong position: a clear pathway, a glaring vacancy in the forward line, and a manager known for high-intensity, front-foot football.
If Salah was the benchmark for decisive moments at Anfield, Diomande is being lined up as the next man asked to carry that burden.
Eichhorn: the 16-year-old pulling Europe’s gaze
While Diomande would be a blockbuster move, Liverpool are also working a very different angle in Germany — one for the next decade rather than the next season.
Hertha Berlin’s Kennet Eichhorn, just 16, has become one of the most talked-about teenagers in European football. Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg reported on Thursday that Liverpool have held fresh talks in the last 48 hours as they intensify their push for his signature.
Eichhorn’s situation is fluid. Hertha failed to win promotion back to the Bundesliga, opening the door to a summer exit. Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are in the frame, with Liverpool trying to drag the conversation away from Germany and towards the Premier League. For now, the midfielder is described as open to all options.
What makes this chase so aggressive is not just his age, but his exposure. Eichhorn, a Germany Under-17 international, turns 17 next month and has already racked up 19 senior appearances. Not cameos in dead rubbers, but meaningful minutes that underline how highly Hertha rate him.
Without an ankle injury and a red-card suspension late in the campaign, that tally would likely be higher.
Tall, composed and technically polished, he plays with the poise of someone far older. Promoted to Hertha’s first team in recent months, he has quickly shown he can handle the pace and physicality of senior football. Scouts from Liverpool, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all watched him closely.
Inside Germany, the noise is even louder. Hertha captain Fabian Reese has called him “an incredible, exceptional talent”, and comparisons with Toni Kroos have already surfaced in his homeland. That is a heavy label for any teenager, but it explains why Europe’s elite are hovering.
A new Liverpool blueprint
Diomande and Eichhorn sit at different ends of the development curve, yet they tell the same story about where Liverpool are heading under Iraola.
One is a ready-made attacking weapon, already delivering goals and assists in a top-five league. The other is a midfield prodigy who might not define next season, but could define the one after that — and several more beyond.
Liverpool’s hierarchy know they cannot replace Robertson, Salah and Konaté like-for-like in terms of experience or status. What they can do is shift the timeline, build a younger, more dynamic group and trust Iraola to weld it into a side capable of climbing back into the title conversation.
The calls have already been made. The fees will be high. The competition is fierce.
Now the question is simple: can Liverpool turn early intent into signatures before Europe’s heavyweights crowd the table?
