Real Madrid have entered the race to sign Yan Diomande and are in talks with RB Leipzig over a potential deal for the 19-year-old winger.
Paris Saint-Germain remain keen on the Ivory Coast international and Diomande had made the European champions his preference, but they have not yet shown a willingness to offer a level of fee that would convince Leipzig to consider a sale this summer.
Madrid registering their interest in signing Diomande has changed the winger’s situation and has created competition for his signature.
The Athletic reported on June 24 that Madrid have been eyeing a player in an attacking right-sided position in case Brahim Diaz were to leave this summer. The Morocco international wants to stay in the Spanish capital, but the club is actively working on a deal to sign Diomande.
Diomande, who joined Leipzig a year ago from Spanish side Leganes, had also been the subject of an approach from Liverpool earlier in the summer approaching €100million (£86.8m; $115m) in value.
The German club had been holding out for a fee closer to €130m while also trying to tie Diomande, whose existing contract runs through to the summer of 2030, to a new deal — and are hopeful he will remain at the club beyond the summer window.
“Our clear intention is that Yan Diomande will play for RB Leipzig next year,” the club’s managing director of sport Marcel Shafer said of the winger’s future.
Madrid have been busy during the summer window following the return of Jose Mourinho as head coach, with Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella all signed.
Earlier on Friday, The Athletic reported the club were working on a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City.
Madrid have been eyeing a player in an attacking right-sided position in case Brahim Diaz were to leave this summer. The Morocco international wants to stay in the Spanish capital, while both Mourinho and the club believe he is a valuable asset.
Diomande featured in all four matches for the Ivory Coast during the World Cup, helping his nation reach the last-32 stage, where they were eliminated by Norway.
Last season, Diomande scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 33 Bundesliga matches — missing just one league game, due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations — as Leipzig finished third and qualified for next season’s Champions League.
He scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 33 league matches, helping the German side finish third in the Bundesliga and qualify for the Champions League.
Should he leave he will likely become Leipzig’s biggest sale, topping the fees paid for Benjamin Sekso by Manchester United in 2025 (€76.5m plus add-ons) or the €90m that Manchester City paid the club to sign Josko Gvardiol in 2023.
One of the most coveted talents on the planet
Analysis by football data writer Thomas Harris
Barely 18 months ago, Diomande was playing his football for DME Sports Academy in Florida. Now impressing at this summer’s World Cup, he is one of the most coveted players on the planet.
The Ivorian’s ascent has been frighteningly quick, crashing his way through European football in a whirlwind of zig-zagging runs and emphatic finishes. It began at Spanish side Leganes, where he spent three months with the reserves after his arrival from the United States, before earning his professional debut against Real Madrid. His first goal soon followed, quickly backed up with statement performances against Villarreal and Real Valladolid — games in which his prodigious dribbling ability became clear.
Barely 500 minutes of football was all it took to convince RB Leipzig to make their move, and Diomande has continued to thrive as the chief outlet down the flanks at the Bundesliga club. No player in the German top flight has tried to dribble past an opponent more often last season, while his success rate is the highest of any winger across Europe with at least 50 take-on attempts. He is one of the few wide players in world football who genuinely combines quantity and quality out wide.
Diomande enjoyed a fine debut season for RB Leipzig (Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
The 19-year-old’s rapid feet and slender figure allow him to dart quickly in either direction, but there is also a sense of power and springiness to Diomande’s dribbling when he is in full flow, able to bounce from challenge to challenge and keep the ball moving forward at speed. It makes him a potent weapon on the counter-attack, where his dribbling fluency translates to a smooth shooting action. He is capable of shifting the ball quickly and generating power and accuracy with both feet.
Such unpredictability was on display in the Bundesliga run-in; he clinched a late win against Borussia Monchengladbach with a shimmy and a thumping finish on his left in early April, before opening the scoring away at Eintracht Frankfurt seven days later after a mazy run, a chop inside and a curling shot with his right.
Diomande has already adapted to the international stage, too, scoring three times in 14 appearances for Ivory Coast and making his mark at the Africa Cup of Nations and in helping his country progress from a tough group including Germany and Ecuador at the World Cup.
