Liverpool told who would be the better Yan Diomande alternative – Bazoumana Toure or Said El Mala
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Liverpool have been warned that none of their reported alternatives will match up to Yan Diomande if they cannot sign the Ivorian this summer.The Reds are prepared to make a second offer for Diomande after seeing a €100m bid rejected by RB Leipzig, but have a list of back-up options on their shortlist as well.Reports have claimed that Liverpool could target Koln’s Said El Mala as a possible alternative, while Hoffenheim wide man Bazoumana Toure has previously been reliably linked as well. Pushed to pick a plan B, though, Hatchard says Toure should be the one in Liverpool‘s sights.Liverpool warned against Said El Mala moveHaving previously rejected a potential move to Brentford this summer, it is likely that Liverpool could sign El Mala for around €50m in the coming months.However, speaking to The Redmen TV, Hatchard said that the steep drop in price from Diomande to the German is indicative of a big gulf in quality, despite El Mala outscoring the Leipzig man last season.“El Mala for me is really raw.
Photo by Lars Baron/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Why Liverpool should not be in any rush to make RB Leipzig a second offer for Yan Diomande“I think there’s a good player in there, don’t get me wrong, and he’s quick and direct, and he’s scored goals as a teenager in the Bundesliga, so not a bad player. “I always say about him, he’s built like a boxer but he moves like a sprinter.
He is really interesting physically, but I’m not totally convinced about him yet.”Bazoumana Toure could be the one to go forHaving also dismissed the wisdom of a move to sign Fernandez-Pardo, Hatchard was more upbeat about the prospect of Toure joining Liverpool, but still declared his belief that the 20-year-old is not close to the level of Diomande.“Bazoumana Toure I really like, but again he’s nowhere near the overall package that Diomande is,” he said. “Toure I really like, he’s so quick and he’s a good kid as well, you listen to the Hoffenheim players when they talk about him and they really love him,” Hatchard adds.