Real Madrid have crashed the race for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande with a €100m (£85.8m) bid, hijacking a summer-long pursuit by both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international has been the envy of Europe’s biggest clubs, but his preference had been a move to Paris, where Sky Germany reports he had already agreed a personal contract. That deal now appears in jeopardy after Los Blancos entered the fray, ready to outgun their rivals financially.
“Real Madrid have bid €100m for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, outgunning Liverpool and PSG.”
Liverpool, seeking a replacement for Mohamed Salah, had made an approach for Diomande, but the Bundesliga side have refused to budge for less than their €130m (£111m) asking price. Real’s offer, first reported by The Athletic, is designed to blow PSG out of the water — and could make Leipzig’s hierarchy think twice.
Diomande only joined Leipzig a year ago from Leganes, but his explosive debut season — 12 goals and nine assists in 33 Bundesliga matches — immediately put him on the radar of Europe’s elite. He also featured in all four matches for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup, helping them reach the Round of 32.
Despite the growing interest, Leipzig’s managing director of sport, Marcel Shafer, insists the club want to keep him. “Our clear intention is that Yan Diomande will play for RB Leipzig next year,” he said. But the club’s record sale could be shattered if a deal goes through; Benjamin Sekso’s move to Manchester United in 2025 and Josko Gvardiol’s to Manchester City in 2023 are the current benchmarks.
Real Madrid have been busy this summer after confirming the return of Jose Mourinho. Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate arrived on free transfers, while Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella were also signed. Adding Diomande — a direct replacement for Brahim Diaz — would cap a window of heavy spending.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have also been eyeing PSG’s Bradley Barcola as an alternative, but that deal was contingent on PSG signing Diomande — a move now thrown into doubt by Madrid’s intervention. With the transfer window still open, the outcome rests on whether Leipzig accept the €100m bid or hold out for the full €130m.