Liverpool have been given a huge boost in their attempts to sign an Diomande from RB Leipzig this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Diomande is in high demand this summer after an impressive season in the Bundesliga and wants to join Liverpool, according to reports.

The 19-year-old had 23 goal involvements – scoring 13 and assisting 10 – as the German side finished third in the Bundesliga, qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

That qualification for the Champions League could make things more difficult for interested parties to negotiate a deal, given Diomande would have elite level football to look forward to at Leipzig, but Liverpool are in talks with the German side to complete a deal.

Liverpool have competition to sign the teen star

However, they are not the only ones.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “Many of you asking what’s happening with Yan Diomande, is he going to Liverpool or not? Look, Liverpool are in negotiations with Yan Diomande’s camp, so Liverpool are on it for sure.

“Paris Saint-Germain are on it as well, they are speaking with the player’s camp, they have genuine interest in Yan Diomande, so the battle is on.”

Diomande will be heading out to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico for the 2026 World Cup with the Ivory Coast this week, ahead of the tournament starting next week, and that throws a spanner in the works of any plans to thrash out a deal.

Liverpool would need to get a deal done quickly, before the tournament starts, or face having to wait until the African nation are knocked out to pick up negotiations again.

Romano revealed Diomande’s preference with transfer talks.

Can Liverpool get a deal done quickly for Diomande?

He added: “I can tell you that the preference from the player and the player’s camp would be to do the deal fast, before the start of the World Cup for the Ivory Coast so Yan Diomande can go to the World Cup without thinking about Liverpool or PSG. This is the feeling, they will try to accelerate the Diomande deal before the World Cup.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be possible because this will depend on Leipzig and it’s never easy to negotiate with Leipzig, we saw that with many players, they are tough, but Liverpool and PSG are both working on this one, both are involved.”

Leipzig have put a huge €120million (£103million) price tag on the young forward’s shoulders, which is another obstacle to overcome in a short space of time.

Emmanuel Petit has named the three players Mikel Arteta ‘has to show the exit door’ following Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal enjoyed an incredible season as they were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years.

They also reached the finals of both the Carabao Cup and the Champions League, where they were narrowly beaten on both occasions by Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

However, despite being named by data analysts as the best team in world football right now, the Gunners have plenty of areas where they can improve.

The 3 Players Emmanuel Petit Wants Arsenal to Sell

While Arsenal have been praised for their solidity in defence, their potency in attack has left a lot to be desired.

The Gunners drew criticism for their creativity from open-play, with many accusing them of being over-reliant at scoring from set-pieces.

Petit is of the opinion that many of their forwards are not good enough to play for the club anymore. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said:

He then name-dropped three players that Arsenal must sell this summer to make way for new recruits.

“Before bringing new players, they have to show some players the exit door too,” he added. “For me the likes of Martinelli, Jesus. Gyokeres – I don’t know because he just came into the club.

Arsenal Linked With Premier League Wonderkid

Arsenal will no doubt splash the cash this summer and one player that they have been linked with is Bournemouth striker, Eli Junior Kroupi.

The Frenchman, just 19 years old, had an outstanding opening season in the Premier League with Bournemouth. He hit the back of the net 13 times, the highest number of goals scored by any teenager in a debut season in Premier League history.

His performances have attracted the attention of many of the world’s biggest clubs, with Arsenal highly interested.

According to BBC Sport, Aston Villa’s Morgan and Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez also feature on their shortlist as they look to bolster their attack this summer.

Rogers and Kroupi are expected to cost in excess of £80m each, while Alvarez is being valued at over £120m.

England’s squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup have been revealed by FIFA.

Tuchel named his 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament, to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, earlier this month. The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were all included.

There were also some huge omissions, with Harry Maguire, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White and more big names being left at home.

The World Cup kicked off in just under two weeks, with England kicking off their campaign on June 17 against Croatia. The Three Lions’ starting XI for the tournament is currently unclear.

However, the squad numbers could hint at which 11 players Tuchel will field from the outset.

England’s Squad Numbers (1-11)

Unsurprisingly, Jordan Pickford has been given the number 1 shirt. The Everton star has been England’s starting goalkeeper for many years and that’s expected to continue this summer.

Ezri Konsa has been given the number 2 shirt, with numbers 3, 5 and 6 filled by Nico O’Reilly, John Stones and Marc Guehi respectively. If the squad numbers are anything to go by, those four will make up Tuchel’s defence.

Declan Rice is guaranteed to start in the middle of midfield. He has been given the number 4 shirt, while fellow midfielders Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham have been given numbers 8 and 10 respectively.

The squad numbers suggest that the three players Tuchel intends to field in attack are Saka, Marcus Rashford and Kane. Saka has been handed the number 7 shirt, Kane will be England’s number 9 and Rashford has been given number 11.

England’s Squad Numbers (12-26)

Tino Livarmento, included in an England squad for a major tournament for the first time, has been given the number 12 shirt. His Newcastle teammates Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon have been handed numbers 15 and 18 respectively.

Pickford’s understudy, Dean Henderson, has been handed the number 13 shirt, while third-choice goalkeeper James Trafford has been given the number 23 jersey.

Kobbie Mainoo will wear the number 16, while Morgan Rogers, who is competing with Bellingham for a starting berth, has been handed number 17.

Backup strikers Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have been given numbers 19 and 22 respectively, with Arsenal duo Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze handed numbers 20 and 21.

The three highest shirt numbers in the squad are occupied by Reece James (24), Djed Spence (25) and Jarell Quansah (26).

Of the players given numbers 12-26, James is the most likely player to start. The right-back also wears the number 24 shirt for Chelsea and is likely to start ahead of Konsa if fully fit.