Liverpool and Tottenham Target Andreas Schjelderup in Winger Race

Liverpool and Tottenham are circling Norway World Cup winger Andreas Schjelderup, with the Benfica forward emerging as a live option in a market being reshaped by Liverpool’s pursuit of RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.

Liverpool’s wide rebuild gathers pace

Liverpool have already made one decisive move. Victor Munoz is in the door, signed from Newcastle United in a €40million (£34.5m) deal that underlines how seriously Anfield is taking its wing overhaul. The 22-year-old will push Cody Gakpo on the left and offer cover in a role that suddenly looks exposed.

Mohamed Salah has gone, walking away on a free and leaving a hole that cannot be filled by sentiment or nostalgia. At the same time, Gakpo may be needed centrally to help Alexander Isak carry the load at centre-forward while Hugo Ekitike recovers from an Achilles injury. The dominoes in attack are already falling; Liverpool know they cannot stop at Munoz.

That is where Diomande and Schjelderup enter the picture.

Schjelderup on Premier League radar

Reports in Italy from Tuttomercatoweb say Liverpool are tracking Schjelderup, the 22-year-old who has just showcased his talent on the World Cup stage with Norway, featuring in their first two group matches.

His club form backs up the hype. Schjelderup produced 10 goals and seven assists in 43 games for Benfica last season, part of a side that went unbeaten in the Primeira Liga under Jose Mourinho yet still somehow missed out on the title. He operates primarily from the left, cutting in with purpose and intelligence, and his numbers have not gone unnoticed.

Benfica paid €14m to bring him in. That figure already looks like a bargain. Initial suggestions place his value at around €30m (£26m), more than double the original fee, but in Portugal the stance is far tougher. Newspaper Record reports that Benfica will only even pick up the phone for offers of €40m or more.

Tottenham have stepped into the race. Record claim Spurs have “burst” into the chase, joining Liverpool in monitoring the winger, with Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Como all lurking in the background. For a player still at the start of his prime years, the queue is forming quickly.

Diomande pursuit hits a pause – but not a stop

While Schjelderup is being watched, Diomande remains the name at the top of Liverpool’s list.

On Thursday, talk surfaced that Liverpool had dramatically raised their offer for the Leipzig attacker, from an initial €100m (£86m) to a new bid of €116m (£100m). That would have been a seismic move, even in a market that has become numb to nine-figure fees.

The story did not last long. Sky Germany’s Philipp Hinze moved quickly to shut it down, calling the reports “not true” and stressing there has been no second offer from Liverpool. The negotiations, at least formally, have not advanced.

Inside Anfield, the debate continues. Club officials are weighing up whether to return with a fresh proposal, expected to land somewhere between €116m and €120m (up to £104m). A bid at that level would force Leipzig to think hard.

Whether it would force them to sell is another question.

Leipzig’s hard line and Liverpool’s preference

Leipzig have already nailed their colours to the mast. As revealed on June 19, they are holding out for a Bundesliga-record €148m (£128m) if they are to even consider losing Diomande this summer. The message from Germany is blunt: they want him to stay for at least one more year.

That valuation would make Diomande one of the most expensive players in football history. Liverpool know it. They also know they prefer him to Schjelderup.

The reason is simple. Schjelderup is a specialist from the left, the very zone Munoz has just strengthened. Diomande brings something else. He can operate with equal menace from either flank, switching sides without losing impact, a tactical weapon who can stretch defences, swap roles mid-game and give a manager genuine variety in the final third.

In a post-Salah landscape, that kind of versatility is gold.

So Liverpool stand at a familiar crossroads: pay the premium for the player they truly want, or pivot to a more attainable, more affordable alternative already attracting serious competition. Tottenham are ready to pounce if the latter happens.

The clock is ticking on both sagas. Which winger Liverpool choose to back with their money may end up defining the first phase of their new attacking era.