Bayern Munich think Yan Diomande already has a deal lined up with Liverpool for a summer move to Anfield, at least according to recent reports.

Liverpool wants Diomand,e too. They see him as the perfect long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah. Their manager, Arne Slot, and sporting director, Richard Hughes, are both on board with the idea. Fraser Fletcher from TEAMtalk broke the news back in December 2025, and he’s usually reliable.

But it won’t be cheap. Sources say RB Leipzig want at least €100 million for Diomande. The 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger only joined Leipzig from Leganes last summer, so they’re not in a rush to sell.

Bayern are definitely interested, but word out of Munich is they’re convinced Liverpool already have something agreed with the player. That info comes from Bayern Space, a well-followed and respected account on X. They’ve got 32,500 followers, and even journalists like Lewis Steele from The Daily Mail trust their updates.

Here’s where things get interesting. Bayern Space doubled down on their Diomande claims, but they also say Bayern have turned their attention to Cody Gakpo as Plan B for the left wing. Apparently, some inside the club believe Gakpo could really thrive in the Bundesliga, similar to what Luis Díaz has done. And now, some of Bayern’s board members are starting to think the Premier League club with a personal agreement for Diomande has to be Liverpool. They don’t have concrete proof, just a strong feeling based on what they’re hearing from people close to Gakpo’s camp.

The irony? If Bayern spend up to £65 million to sign Gakpo from Liverpool, they’d basically be handing Liverpool the money to buy Diomande, the very player who turned them down in the first place. That’s how quickly things can flip at the top of the transfer market. Some people at Bayern say they’d be fine with it if Gakpo delivers right away on the pitch.

But what are Liverpool’s plans for Gakpo? That’s still up for debate. Bayern Space is adamant Bayern want him, but Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider says the German club aren’t planning to go after the Dutch forward.

O’Rourke thinks Liverpool could sell Gakpo this summer, but he’s not convinced Bayern will be the buyers. He points out that last summer, Bayern had to choose between Gakpo and Díaz for the left wing; they went with Díaz, and it’s worked out great. Díaz has settled in quickly and become a key player for Vincent Kompany’s team, basically locking down that left side.

Gakpo’s versatile; he can play anywhere up front, so you can see why Bayern would keep tabs on him. But O’Rourke doesn't think he’s a top priority for them at the moment. And Liverpool aren’t desperate to sell either, especially since they’re a bit short on left-sided attackers.

If Liverpool do sign another left winger this summer, maybe that could open the door for Gakpo to leave. But he’s under contract until 2030, and, by all accounts, he’s happy at Liverpool even if he gets some criticism from fans for his performances. Arne Slot clearly rates him, since he keeps giving him game time.

Arne Slot says Florian Wirtz’s injury isn’t anything serious, even though he had to pull out of Liverpool's starting lineup during the warm-up before their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Curtis Jones stepped in for Wirtz, and Liverpool grabbed a dramatic win with a goal deep into stoppage time.

Wirtz was set to start at the City Ground, but something in his back flared up during the warm-up, and he couldn’t go. Slot didn’t want to risk him. After the match, Slot explained, “We don’t think it’s serious, but he felt his back too much to start. He wasn’t close to 100 per cent. I think now, after being in this league for a while, he gets that you can’t play here unless you’re fully fit. We hope he’ll be back next week, but you never really know.”

So, Jones slotted in, and Liverpool scraped out a win thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s goal right at the end. That winner was even more impressive because Mac Allister had just had a goal ruled out five minutes earlier, but he kept going and found the net. Despite the late drama, Mac Allister wasn’t too pleased with the overall performance. Liverpool is still sitting sixth, behind Chelsea only on goal difference, and if Manchester United beats Everton on Monday, they’ll be three points ahead.

Mac Allister said, “Honestly, mixed feelings. Scoring and winning always feel good, so in that sense, it’s a good day. But we didn’t play well. There’s a lot we need to fix, but winning always makes things easier.”

About the disallowed goal, he added, “I felt like I’d get another chance, even before the throw-in. I told Hugo Ekitike, ‘This is our moment.’ I don’t remember if it was that play or the next, but I got another shot, and I’m glad it went in.”

He kept going: “We’ll look back at the game this week, but the first half was just bad. Positioning, intensity, pressing – it just wasn’t there. Maybe the only thing we did well was defending our box and blocking some shots. But overall, it wasn’t up to our standards. The second half was a bit better, not great, but we created some chances, and the main thing is we got the win.”

Slot didn’t hold back at halftime. He told the team straight up that it was Liverpool’s worst half under him so far. “That first half was the worst we’ve played,” Slot said. “But we defended our box really well, so that’s why it stayed 0-0. Forest were the better team; they pushed us back, but our defending inside the box kept us in it. We had to deal with a lot of set pieces, especially early on, so if we can take that mentality and use it all over the pitch and just keep the ball better and not lose it every time, these players can do more.”

Slot tried to fire the team up at halftime, telling them there’s no way they could be out of energy already, especially compared to Forest, who had played a tough away match on Thursday. He reminded them about the second half against Manchester City, when they managed to turn things around after a poor first half. It worked well enough; Liverpool didn’t play great, but they found a way to win.