Liverpool-linked Yan Diomande will decide his future after 2026 World Cup, says Cote d’Ivoire manager Emerse Fae, after exciting tournament debut

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Yan Diomande will decide his club future after the 2026 World Cup, according to Cote d’Ivoire manager Emerse Fae, with numerous big clubs reportedly circling for the 19-year-old's signature.

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Diomande has been the subject of recent transfer speculation, with reports linking both Liverpool and Paris-Saint Germain with potential moves for him, after an excellent debut season with RB Leipzig.

But, speaking after Cote d’Ivoire won their opening game in North America by beating Ecuador 1-0 on Sunday, Fae believes now is not the time for the winger to make any big decisions, and instead focus on representing his nation.

"When we were in France, during the preparation, journalists told me he was about to sign with PSG," Fae told reporters, per ESPN. "Here, they tell me he's about to sign with Liverpool!

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"I don't know, but for now, he will focus on the World Cup, and then afterwards, he can think about the rest of his career."

Diomande showed why he is being tipped as a potential future star during Cote d’Ivoire's victory over Ecuador.

His combination of speed and close-quarters dribbling caused no end of trouble for the Ecuador left-back, Arsenal's Piero Hincapie.

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In fact, Hincapie was dribbled past four times against Cote d’Ivoire, the most by a defender in a single match at this year's World Cup so far, according to Opta.

To put that in perspective, Hincapie was only dribbled past 19 times in 39 appearances for Arsenal during their Premier League title-winning season in 2025/26.

Opta also added that Diomande had a tournament-leading 12 touches in the opposition box during the victory.

Those 12 touches equalled the second-highest total by a Cote d’Ivoire player in a World Cup match, tied with Didier Drogba against North Korea in 2010 and only behind Aruna Dindane’s 13 against Serbia in 2006, Opta said.

It was another Cote d’Ivoire winger, Amad Diallo, who got the decisive goal in the 90th minute, but Fae highlighted Diomande specifically for praise following the win over the stout South Americans.

"Yan - what can I say? I can't put it into words," Fae said. "He's very talented, but beyond the talent, he's very young and he'll improve.

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"He's a kid who works hard, has a real team spirit, laughs with everyone, and he listens, listens to the technical staff whenever he's given advice, and tries to do his best, as he's told.

"It's easy to work with someone like Yan, he's so talented and has what is needed, plus he can give you the victory and was a real challenge for Hincapie, a Champions League finalist."

Diomande joined Leipzig last summer after an underwhelming spell at Leganes in Spain, and quickly became one of the hottest prospects in European football.

He was named the Bundesliga's player of the month in April, finishing the season with 12 goals and eight assists as Leipzig went on to finish third in the league.

To highlight his impact, only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal had more goal involvements last season (27) than Diomande's 20 amongst teenagers across Europe's big five leagues, according to Opta.

Cote d’Ivoire will face Germany in their second Group E game in Toronto on Saturday, before taking on Curacao in Philadelphia on June 25.

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