Club have made a second bid of up to €120m for the winger
Real Madrid are expected to conclude a deal with RB Leipzig for Yan Diomande after making a second bid worth €120m for the Ivory Coast forward.
Madrid have already seen one offer rejected and recently returned with an improved package made up of a €100m guaranteed fee plus add-ons.
Paris Saint-Germain were also interested in the player but have now stepped away from negotiations after deciding not to match either Leipzig’s valuation or the player’s wage expectations. Diomande has also shifted his preference towards Madrid, although PSG had previously been his preferred destination.
Diomande received a break after participating at the World Cup with Ivory Coast but he is due back at Leipzig on Monday. The club have been trying to convince him to sign a new contract and had hoped to keep him beyond this transfer window.
The winger, who primarily plays on the right, enjoyed a breakthrough first season in Germany last term, scoring 12 Bundesliga goals and adding nine assists in 33 league appearances. His only absence came while representing Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
If completed, the transfer would become the biggest sale in Leipzig’s history, surpassing the €90m received from Manchester City for Josko Gvardiol in 2023 and the €85m fee paid by Manchester United for Benjamin Sesko in 2025.
What Will Yan Diomande Bring to Real Madrid?
Diomande will be a signing designed to plug the obvious hole on the right side of Madrid’s attack, where Rodrygo, Franco Mastanuono and Brahim Diaz have been variously tried to less than satisfactory results. Sometimes the coach, 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.
If he arrives, Diomande will bring his speed, zig-zagging runs and technical ability to the right-hand side, in a similar way to Vinicius Junior (or Kylian Mbappe, should the Brazilian leave) 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.
