Liverpool are reportedly looking at Yan Diomande’s RB Leipzig teammate Antonio Nusa as another transfer target in attack this summer.
The Reds could be prepared to pay as much as £75m for Diomande, according to iNews, but Nusa is another name being considered.
Given that Leipzig could ask for £85m or more for Diomande, it’s surely sensible for Liverpool to have a cheaper alternative in mind, with Nusa also a fine player with potential to improve even further.
Nusa has also attracted interest from Arsenal in the past, with our information at the time being that he could cost around €45m. That price has probably gone up a bit since then, but it’s perhaps unlikely to have almost doubled, making him significantly cheaper than Diomande.
Antonio Nusa could be a bargain transfer option for Liverpool
Using Transfermarkt as an indicator, Nusa had a market value of €28m one year ago, and he’s now up just slightly to €32m. Obviously in the real world clubs often charge a great deal higher than a player’s true market value, but we could perhaps now estimate the 21-year-old’s asking price to be in the €55-60m range.
With seven goals and six assists in all competitions for club and country this season, that looks like it could be money well spent, without quite the same kind of risk as splashing out closer to £100m for Diomande, who has really only had one good season at the highest level.
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After such poor work in the transfer market last year, with vast sums spent on flops like Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong, it’s clear that LFC can’t afford another reckless summer window.
How would Antonio Nusa fit in at Liverpool?
One key issue, however, is that prioritising Nusa over Diomande is not really a like-for-like thing, with the Norway international primarily playing on the left-hand side.
Diomande plays on the right, so would be more of a natural heir to the departing Mohamed Salah, whereas Nusa would perhaps not really address that glaring issue.
Still, he could give Arne Slot’s side something better on the left after a disappointing season from Cody Gakpo, who has failed to step up since the departure of Luis Diaz last summer.