Richard Hughes will be a man with two screens on Saturday evening. Liverpool's sporting director has already secured one major signing this summer, but his real prize – the player tasked with replacing Mohamed Salah – will be on display in Toronto.
Hughes watched Yan Diomande earn man of the match in Ivory Coast's 1-0 win over Ecuador on Monday. Now the 19-year-old faces an even sterner test: Germany, top of Group E after thrashing Curacao 7-1 in their opener, at the World Cup.
“Liverpool face tense transfer battle for Yan Diomande as World Cup clash with Germany could raise his price”
The RB Leipzig star is Liverpool's number one transfer target. But the German club are playing hard ball. Liverpool have already seen a €100m (£86.7m) offer rejected – and Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schafer made their position clear. “We don’t have to say yes to any offer whatsoever,” Schafer said recently. “Yan doesn’t have a release clause. That means we’re in the driver’s seat and everyone else is in the back seat.”
Diomande, who joined Leipzig from Leganes for just £17.3m last summer, contributed 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances in his debut campaign. Paris Saint-Germain are also circling, but Leipzig are holding firm, hoping Diomande's World Cup performances will drive up the asking price and attract more suitors. Valued at €120m (£104m) by the club, he still has four years on his contract – a deal he says he will honour.
“My contract here is until 2030, so I have four more years,” Diomande said last month. “What's going to happen afterwards? I don't know. I am a Leipzig player. I will never forget this opportunity. It's not only about playing football, but the club helped me a lot off the pitch.”
Liverpool have already shown their ambition this window, swooping to capture Osasuna winger Victor Munoz for €40m (£34.6m). But Diomande is the priority. Hughes will be watching closely as Ivory Coast take on Julian Nagelsmann's side in Toronto on Saturday night, hoping Germany can do Liverpool a favour – or at least provide the stage for Diomande to prove he is worth every penny.