Liverpool news and transfers LIVE: Yan Diomande hint, Bradley Barcola latest, Felix Nmecha move

Liverpool fans hoping to get a first look at Victor Munoz in action after signing for the club will be left disappointed.

Munoz missed out on making his World Cup debut as Spain opened its tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, and he is absent again as the European champions take on Saudi Arabia in their second group game.

The winger was ruled out during the build-up to the encounter after picking up a muscular injury while recovering from another issue in training. A statement from the RFEF said:

During the scheduled and individualized recovery process, an additional muscle injury has occurred that will delay his return to competition. His availability for the upcoming matches will depend on the evolution of his symptoms.

Paris Saint-Germain is expected to make a bid for Yan Diomande, according to Bild.

Numerous outlets have been claiming that Liverpool is getting ready to launch a second bid for the winger, with its original offer of around $115 million not enough to convince RB Leipzig.

It's suggested now though that a bidding war could develop between the Reds and PSG, with the European champions "highly likely" to submit an offer to Leipzig. That, it's said, would be a "comfortable situation" for the German club, with talks over a contract extension ongoing.

It was never going to happen, but there were transfer links earlier with Chelsea and Florian Wirtz.

A case, presumably, of someone putting two and two together to make 503, given Wirtz excelled under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Football.London, Chelsea sources have played down any suggestions that they have any interest. No surprise.

According to Fabrizio Romano, RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande would like to move on this summer amid interest from Liverpool and PSG.

The German side wants to tie him down to a new contract with a release clause, ensuring that he stays for another 12 months, but Diomande is said to be keen to move on.

Liverpool has already expressed a willingness to go big for the player. It feels like a compromise should be possible, though PSG's interest is real as well.

Jurgen Klopp has explained how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz, with Liverpool and Germany needing to see a bit more from the 22-year-old.

"The important thing is that we involve him in the game," Klopp said while working as a pundit at the World Cup.

"There were moments against Curacao when I thought, just give him the ball. Not even because he was the best passing option, but because, as a teammate, I want Flo Wirtz to feel good.

"If I were Schlotterbeck, I’d just give him the ball five times for no particular reason and see what he does.

"If you really want Flo Wirtz to get into a rhythm, if you want the place to really be buzzing, then give him the ball, because that’s when the lad feels completely at home."

Denis Undav was the Germany savior against Ivory Coast yesterday, with Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane toiling, and Florian Wirtz lacking significant output in the final third.

While the Liverpool man struggled to produce much output in the final third, he was the best of a below-par attacking bunch in Toronto, Canada.

The German media was not exactly praising Wirtz, but he was spared some of the very critical comments aimed at teammates including Musiala.

Spain will take on Saudi Arabia at the World Cup later, but Liverpool fans will have to wait a bit longer to see new signing Victor Munoz in action.

That is because the Reds' $46 million (£35 million) man has an injury that is expected to keep him out of the remainder of the group stages.

He could return in the knockout phase, assuming that Spain makes it that far. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal's fitness is also being managed at the moment, so Munoz would have got minutes had he been fit.

It is understood that Liverpool has indicated a willingness to pay €100 million ($115 million/£85 million) for Yan Diomande, but that is not enough.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are prepared to go higher than that, which is no huge surprise. Diomande is a priority target, and RB Leipzig holds all the cards when it comes to a sale.

PSG remains interested in Diomande, but Liverpool appears to be pushing hardest at the moment. Andoni Iraola's men, of course, can offer an immediate guarantee of a spot in the starting XI.

Liverpool transfer target Yan Diomande has indicated that he would be open to moving to England when speaking to BeIn Sport.

"Would I be open to the Premier League? I don't know," Diomande said. "I am an RB Leipzig player, but why not? My agents will sort that out.

"As for me I am more focused on the World Cup, that's the most important thing. It doesn't happen all the time, it's only every four years, so I am making the most of it and for the rest, we'll see."

Liverpool and Manchester United, according to TEAMtalk, are trying to sign Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha with the German 'open' to exiting the Bundesliga outfit.

Nmecha, valued at around $69 million (£52 million), has been impressing with Germany at the World Cup, so it was only a matter of time before England's two biggest sides were suggested as possible destinations.

He was previously at Manchester City, but went to the Bundesliga to get regular game time and is now 25.

Cody Gakpo may have struggled for Liverpool in the season just gone, but he is off to a flyer at the World Cup. The 27-year-old forward scored twice and assisted once in a big win over Sweden yesterday.

"It’s a little bit different," Gakpo said when he was asked post-match to explain how he is able to perform to such a high level in a Dutch shirt.

"How I play here, where the coach wants me to be, the freedom that I have at the club," he added. "That’s it basically."

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has denied that he and Mohamed Salah have fallen out at the World Cup after he took the Liverpool legend off earlier than anticipated in the opening game of the tournament.

"Salah is an important part of this team," Hassan insisted, via The National News.

"All 26 players with us here are very important, starting with the team captain, of course, Mohamed Salah, all the way to the youngest players with us like Hamza Abdelkarim or Tarek Alaa."

Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk picked up a knock while playing against Sweden, but he says he will be fine.

"I got a knock on my hip and I couldn’t feel my thigh anymore, so that was a bit very strange, but it was probably a nerve," he said post-match. "I think it’s not too bad, but we’ll see."

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is wanted by Inter Milan, but Gazzetta dello Sport reports that some dominoes need to fall for that move to happen.

Manchester City has already seen a bid worth up to $160 million (£120 million) rejected for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson. If that deal goes through, Davide Frattesi will move to the City Ground as a replacement.

Inter selling Frattesi will free up funds and space for Jones, it is suggested, though the Serie A giant would have to negotiate with Liverpool and agree a price. Jones has one year left on his contract as things stand.

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was on the winning side in Argentina's opening World Cup fixture, in which Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for the South Americans in a 3-0 victory.

But the clash with Algeria was not without controversy, with the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak making some high-profile calls involving the pair that did not go down well with the African side.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mac Allister escaped a card for a challenge on Ibrahim Mazan, while Messi could have been sent off for a nasty-looking tackle on Aissa Mandi’s Achilles tendon, with the Inter Miami star also avoiding a booking.

"It’s pointless commenting on hypothetical situations, but everyone saw it, including me," Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic said after the match.

Now, according to The Athletic, the Algerian FA has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, expressing its dissatisfaction at how the game was officiated.

As he makes his plans for the new season, Andoni Iraola will be looking back on what needs to improve from last year, both individually and collectively for Liverpool.

Getting Alexander Isak firing will be huge. If Cody Gakpo can get back to form, that will make a massive difference. And Ryan Gravenberch, too, was a key man in the title-winning season who then dropped off.

During the Netherlands' hammering of Sweden in the World Cup, each of the trio looked really good. If they can each get back to their best, that will have a transformative impact on Liverpool next season alone.

Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig, of course, is a leading target for Liverpool this summer, with the Reds having made clear to his current employer that they would be willing to offer a package approaching €100 million ($115 million/£85 million).

"Diomande is one of those wingers that it looks to me like his first instinct is to take on his man," Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith told Liverpool.com this week.

"And there aren't so many of that type of player around these days. Everybody looks to pass sideways. So listen, big shoes to fill. If you're playing on the right side of the attack for Liverpool, it'd be big for anybody (to replace Mohamed Salah).

"He's an up-and-coming youngster, done well at Leipzig, hasn't he? And did well the other night on the biggest stage as well, which shows you something about his temperament. So it looks like on the face of it, it would be a good signing for Liverpool."

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According to the Italian outlet Tuttosport, Inter Milan has been alerted to Real Madrid's potential willingness to let Nico Paz leave this summer.

Paz has been at Como but Real Madrid can re-sign him for a small fee. He is very highly rated, but Jose Mourinho would be willing to let him leave.

In that case, the suggestion is that Inter could move on from Curtis Jones and sign Paz instead, even though the Argentine would be more expensive.

Liverpool stars Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak all start for their nations as the Netherlands take on Sweden at the World Cup.

It's a heavyweight clash, with the Dutch in need of the points after failing to beat Japan on matchday one. We'll keep you updated with everything that goes on.

Julian Nagelsmann has revealed he "did not expect an apology" from Jurgen Klopp following the legendary former Liverpool manager's joke about taking over from the German boss.

Klopp has been mooted as a potential replacement for Nagelsmann, and appeared to allude to this during Magenta Sport's live broadcast of Germany's World Cup opener against Curacao — a match it won 7-1.

"Luckily, it's Julian Nagelsmann who's picking the team," Klopp remarked while discussing the starting line-up, before adding: "Still."

"I did not expect an apology from Jurgen Klopp for his comments and I also don't listen to everybody talking about our team," Nagelsmann said. "That's not possible."

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