Real Madrid have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to sign Yan Diomande in a deal worth up to €140m.
The Spanish club will pay about €125m up front with a further €15m in performance-related add-ons. The agreement clears the way for the 19-year-old to travel to Madrid for a medical after Leipzig’s board gives its final approval.
The transfer follows Madrid’s successful push for the Ivory Coast international after Paris Saint-Germain withdrew from negotiations. Liverpool had also shown interest earlier in the window but Diomande preferred PSG or Madrid.
Leganes, where Diomande began his senior career, will receive a share of the transfer fee under the terms agreed when he joined Leipzig last year.
A signing to fix the right wing
Diomande is a signing designed to plug the obvious hole on the right side of Madrid’s attack, where Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and Franco Mastanuono have been variously tried to less than satisfactory results. The latter has now left on loan to Fiorentina.
In the past the manager, whether Xabi Alonso or Alvaro Arbeloa, has tried to solve that problem with a 4-4-2 formation, but this is still less than ideal and keeps Madrid far too narrow for their liking.
⏹️ ¡Nuestro entrenamiento desde todos los ángulos! pic.twitter.com/bVGw63SOkB
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 4, 2026
With his arrival, Diomande brings speed, zig-zagging runs and technical ability to the right-hand side, in a similar way to Vinicius Junior on the left. In the Bundesliga last season, no players attempted to take on a defender more than Diomande, and his success rate was the highest of any winger in Europe with up to 50 take-on attempts.
Madrid have struggled with a left-wing bias in recent seasons due to the imbalance of quality in their attack. With Mbappe and Vinicius regularly combining on that flank, the ball tends to get channelled into that area, which can make the game easier for opposing defenders. Diomande fixes that as a naturally aggressive dribbler who can create threats on the other flank.
Diomande’s speed and dribbling also makes him well suited for Madrid’s counter-attacking style. He is comfortable carrying the ball over long distances and with his pace he will exploit space behind defensive lines. He is also unpredictable in attack, able to move smoothly from running to passing or shooting in one fluid movement, and he can do so with either foot.
What else should I know about the deal?
Diomande trained with Leipzig after returning from the World Cup and joined the club’s preseason training before the final stages of negotiations. He did not travel with the squad to Austria at the weekend, although Leipzig have maintained that it was illness, rather than transfer discussions, that kept him away.
The winger had a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2030 and Leipzig had been attempting to extend his deal while seeking a transfer fee closer to €130m.
Diomande spent only one season in Germany after arriving from Leganes. He scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists in 36 appearances during his debut campaign and featured in all four of Ivory Coast’s matches at this summer’s World Cup before their quarter-final defeat to Norway.
Madrid have continued to strengthen their squad under Jose Mourinho this summer. Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Carlos Espi have already arrived, while the club are also pursuing a deal for Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
