Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Diomande and Trincao Targeted

Liverpool’s summer rebuild is taking clear shape on the wings – and it is starting to look ruthless.

Mohamed Salah is walking away on a free with a year still left on his deal, an extraordinary parting of ways for a player of his stature. Federico Chiesa has gone public with his own stance: he wants out unless new head coach Andoni Iraola can guarantee him a bigger role. Cody Gakpo, once seen as a central piece of the future, is now firmly in the shop window.

This is not a tweak. It is a reset of an entire attacking department.

Diomande the headline act, but not the only one

Liverpool’s primary obsession remains Yan Diomande. The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger has been elevated to top-target status for the flanks, with The Athletic reporting the German club now want in excess of €130m (£112m) for the Ivorian.

That fee would make most clubs blink. Liverpool have not.

They are, according to David Ornstein, in a stronger position than PSG when it comes to agreeing personal terms with Diomande and have already opened talks with Leipzig over a deal. Gakpo has even been floated as a potential makeweight in negotiations, a far more plausible route than the wilder claims that Tottenham are ready to smash their transfer record for the Dutchman.

Yet the numbers leaving Anfield’s wide positions tell their own story. Salah already heading for the exit, Chiesa agitating, Gakpo available at the right price – one marquee arrival will not be enough.

Liverpool know it. Which is why Diomande is only half the plan.

Trincao: the £52m partner in a double swoop

Alongside Diomande, Liverpool have turned their focus to Francisco Trincao, a player whose career has looped from Barcelona promise to Premier League frustration and back to prominence in Portugal.

Correio da Manha first reported that Liverpool were giving serious thought to a move for the Sporting CP winger. The change in the dugout at Anfield has not altered that stance; the same report was clear that Iraola’s arrival “has done nothing to cool interest” in the 26-year-old.

Trincao’s resurgence has been emphatic. After an underwhelming 2021/22 loan at Wolves while still on Barcelona’s books, he returned to Portugal, initially on loan to Sporting and then permanently in 2023. Back home, his confidence – and end product – have surged.

Last season he delivered 13 goals and 18 assists in all competitions, 31 direct goal contributions that underpinned Sporting’s attacking play. The left-footer forced his way into the Primeira Liga Team of the Season for the second year running, a sign that this is not a one-off spike but a sustained climb.

Now comes the payoff.

Portuguese outlet Record report that Liverpool are “closest” to landing Trincao this summer, ready to trigger his €60m (£52m) release clause. The same report places Liverpool “top of the list” of clubs likely to make a concrete move, ahead of other suitors circling a player whose stock has rarely been higher.

A new-look front line taking shape

If Liverpool complete what would effectively be a double raid – Diomande at a premium, Trincao via his clause – the face of their attack changes overnight.

Salah’s goals, Chiesa’s discontent, Gakpo’s uncertain future: all of it would be replaced by a blend of a high-ceiling teenager and a 26-year-old hitting his stride. It is bold, expensive and carries risk, but it fits a clear pattern of aggressive renewal rather than gentle transition.

The question now is not whether Liverpool are active. It is whether they are prepared to go all the way and pay the prices that will define the next era of their forward line.