Real Madrid expect to complete a deal to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in the coming hours, sources have told ESPN.
Winger Diomande, 19, is one of football’s top young prospects after excelling in the Bundesliga last season — scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists — and starring for Ivory Coast at the World Cup.
A source told ESPN that Madrid were set to seal the teenager’s signing between Monday and Tuesday, for a deal expected to total €135 million ($153.8M) including variables, with a fixed sum of between €115M ($131M) and €120M ($136.7M).
If the add-ons are achieved, Diomande would represent a record transfer for Madrid, surpassing the signings of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and Eden Hazard from Chelsea.
The move would be the latest step in a meteoric rise for Diomande, who was playing at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, just two years ago.
Yan Diomande is one of the most in-demand attackers in world football this summer. Ronny HARTMANN / AFP via Getty Images
He joined Spanish club Leganés in January 2025, initially featuring for their reserves, but impressed sufficiently to sign for Leipzig six months later.
The forward was then one of the Bundesliga’s outstanding players last season, as Leipzig finished third.
At the World Cup, he created eleven chances in four appearances for Ivory Coast before they were eliminated by Norway in the round of 32.
Paris Saint-Germain had been strongly linked with a move for Diomande before Madrid entered the race.
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Madrid are also now optimistic about their chances of signing Manchester City midfielder Rodri, a source told ESPN.
ESPN reported last week that Madrid were no longer ruling out a move for Spain’s World Cup-winning captain, having previously expressed concerns about his injury record.
Rodri’s performances at the World Cup saw opinions shift among senior Madrid executives.
A Madrid source said they believed City would want to sign a replacement before allowing the midfielder — who has a year left on his contract in Manchester — to depart.
Madrid have already signed Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva and Denzel Dumfries this summer, and ESPN has reported that the club would need to see departures as they further add to new coach José Mourinho’s squad.
