Reported Liverpool transfer target at centre of messy dispute involving world-famous rapper

Reported Liverpool transfer target Yan Diomande has become embroiled in a dispute involving an agency founded by world-famous rapper Jay-Z.

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The Reds have been heavily linked with a potential move for the RB Leipzig winger, with reliable journalist David Lynch indicating that Anfield chiefs are ‘keeping an eye on‘ the 19-year-old, and Bundesliga insider Christian Falk even claiming that an offer may already be in the works.

However, the Ivory Coast international has seemingly been caught up in a messy off-field row which could impact a future transfer.

Liverpool target Diomande at the centre of agency dispute

As reported by Mike McGrath for The Telegraph, Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation announced in early February that it had added Diomande to its stable, with Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli also among its footballing clients.

However, his existing representatives Maxidel Management (which is run by former Leeds winger Max Gradel), announced on New Year’s Day that it has renewed its contract with the RB Leipzig youngster, and maintain that the teenager ‘remains contractually bound to our agency’. It added that it is prepared to ‘defend its interests through the appropriate legal channels’ if necessary.

While Roc Nation’s apparent stance is that it signed the player legally, Maxidel insists that it has lodged paperwork approved by football federations to verify that it represents him until 2027, holds an image right contract to 2031 and has an exclusive mandate to sell him.

What could that mean for Diomande and Liverpool?

As outlined by The Telegraph, this messy dispute will need to be clarified before Diomande departs RB Leipzig, and the player is undersood to view the situation as a barrier to a smooth exit from his current club.

If Maxidel chooses to go down the legal route, it could potentially elevate the case as far as the Court of Arbitration for Sport, should the row escalate to that degree.

For prospective suitors such as Liverpool, it’s not a particularly ideal development, as the uncertainty over who holds the agency rights to the winger’s footballing career could impact the ability of interested clubs to sign him in the coming summer.

If (as several pundits have claimed) Mo Salah departs Anfield at the end of his season, the Reds’ hierarchy will need to invest in a replacement who seems capable of reaching elite standards. Despite being only 19, Diomande might well be a candidate to meet that criterion.

With nine goals and seven assists to his name this season and a host of league-leading underlying performance metrics (Fotmob), the young Ivorian appears to have an incredibly promising career ahead of him, if he’s given the scope to reach his full potential.

Hopefully the agency dispute can be resolved amicably and relatively quickly so that his footballing ambitions are fully realised, rather than being curtailed due to bureaucratic red tape.

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