Real Madrid have entered the race to sign Yan Diomande and are in talks with RB Leipzig over a possible deal for the 19-year-old winger.
Paris Saint-Germain stay eager on the Ivory Coast worldwide and Diomande had made the European champions his choice, however they haven’t but proven a willingness to supply a stage of price that might persuade Leipzig to take into account a sale this summer time.
Madrid registering their curiosity in signing Diomande has modified the winger’s scenario and has created competitors for his signature.
The Athletic reported on June 24 that Madrid have been eyeing a participant in an attacking right-sided place in case Brahim Diaz have been to go away this summer time. The Morocco worldwide desires to keep within the Spanish capital, however the membership is actively engaged on a deal to sign Diomande.
Diomande, who joined Leipzig a yr in the past from Spanish facet Leganes, had additionally been the topic of an strategy from Liverpool earlier in the summertime approaching €100million (£86.8m; $115m) in worth.
The German membership had been holding out for a price nearer to €130m whereas additionally making an attempt to tie Diomande, whose current contract runs via to the summer time of 2030, to a brand new deal — and are hopeful he’ll stay on the membership past the summer time window.
“Our clear intention is that Yan Diomande will play for RB Leipzig next year,” the membership’s managing director of sport Marcel Shafer mentioned of the winger’s future.
Madrid have been busy throughout the summer time 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 membership have been engaged on a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City.
Madrid have been eyeing a participant in an attacking right-sided place in case Brahim Diaz have been to go away this summer time. The Morocco worldwide desires to keep within the Spanish capital, whereas each Mourinho and the membership consider he’s a useful asset.
Diomande featured in all 4 matches for the Ivory Coast throughout the World Cup, serving to his nation attain the last-32 stage, the place they have been eradicated 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 essentially the most coveted skills on the planet
Analysis by football data writer Thomas Harris
Barely 18 months in the past, Diomande was taking part in his soccer for DME Sports Academy in Florida. Now impressing at this summer time’s World Cup, he is likely one of the most coveted gamers on the planet.
The Ivorian’s ascent has been frighteningly fast, crashing his manner via European soccer in a whirlwind of zig-zagging runs and emphatic finishes. It started at Spanish facet Leganes, the place he spent three months with the reserves after his arrival from the United States, earlier than incomes his skilled debut towards Real Madrid. His first objective quickly adopted, shortly backed up with assertion performances towards Villarreal and Real Valladolid — video games during which his prodigious dribbling capacity turned clear.
Barely 500 minutes of soccer was all it took to persuade RB Leipzig to make their transfer, and Diomande has continued to thrive because the chief outlet down the flanks on the Bundesliga membership. No participant within the German prime flight has tried to dribble previous an opponent extra usually final season, whereas his success fee is the best of any winger throughout Europe with no less than 50 take-on makes an attempt. He is likely one of the few broad gamers in world soccer who genuinely combines amount and high quality out broad.
Diomande loved a effective debut season for RB Leipzig (Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
The 19-year-old’s speedy ft and slender determine enable him to dart shortly in both path, however there may be additionally a way of energy and springiness to Diomande’s dribbling when he’s in full circulation, ready to bounce from problem to problem and maintain the ball shifting ahead at velocity. It makes him a potent weapon on the counter-attack, the place his dribbling fluency interprets to a clean capturing motion. He is able to shifting the ball shortly and producing energy and accuracy with each ft.
Such unpredictability was on show within the Bundesliga run-in; he clinched a late win towards Borussia Monchengladbach with a shimmy and a thumping end on his left in early April, earlier than opening the scoring away at Eintracht Frankfurt seven days later after a mazy run, a chop inside and a curling shot together with his proper.
Diomande has already tailored to the worldwide stage, too, scoring 3 times in 14 appearances for Ivory Coast and making his mark on the Africa Cup of Nations and in serving to his nation progress from a tricky group together with Germany and Ecuador on the World Cup.
