Yan Diomande’s signing from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to €140million (£119m; $161m) is the strongest sign of Real Madrid’s determination to superpower their squad after two seasons of disappointment.
He is the sixth summer arrival for Jose Mourinho’s new project at the Santiago Bernabeu, following Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Carlos Espi.
As they respond to going consecutive seasons without a major trophy, Madrid have come out on top against Liverpool, who pursued 19-year-old Diomande this summer, and Paris Saint-Germain, who dropped out of the running at the end of July.
When The Athletic revealed on July 24 that Madrid had entered the race to sign the Ivory Coast winger, the reaction among the club’s fans and wider football was one of great surprise.
Diomande’s name had not been linked with them, and recent developments had suggested he was close to joining PSG, winners of the past two Champions League titles.
Things heated up for Madrid after Diomande’s involvement in the World Cup ended. Following Ivory Coast’s 2-1 defeat in the round of 32 against Norway on June 30, the Spanish club began to make concrete moves, including the first of three offers to Leipzig.
One year after signing Diomande from Leganes by meeting his €20million release clause, Leipzig have negotiated the biggest sale in their history, significantly surpassing the €90m they received from Manchester City for Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol in 2023.
Madrid’s deal consists of an initial fee of around €125million plus €15m in add-ons, with Diomande joining on a seven-year contract.
If all those are add-ons achieved, he would become the Spanish club’s record signing. Jude Bellingham’s 2023 move from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €103m has already cost Madrid more than €125m with add-ons, and that fee could rise further to about €134m.
Here, informed by multiple sources — many of whom asked to speak anonymously to protect relationships — The Athletic tells the story behind one of this summer’s biggest and most unexpected transfers.
Why everyone wants Yan Diomande
Alexander Barker
On July 16 last year, Leipzig announced the signing of Diomande from Leganes, a club in the southern suburbs of Madrid who had just been relegated to Spain’s second tier.
Diomande had agreed to join Leganes the previous November, shortly after turning 18. He was then a free agent. He had spent his youth career in the Ivory Coast, but also spent two years at DME Academy — an “elite sports academy and educational institution” in Daytona Beach, Florida.
His senior debut came against Real Madrid 18 months ago, coming on with four minutes to play in Leganes’ 3-2 defeat at the Bernabeu. Across that season, he made 10 appearances, scoring two goals and making one assist.
At the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Leipzig acted decisively. Their move to sign Diomande went a little under the radar, but they were aware that PSG, Liverpool and other Premier League clubs were also keeping a close eye on him.
There was no competition for his signature from clubs in Spain. Leganes inserted a clause into the deal with Leipzig entitling them to five per cent of any profit the Bundesliga side made — meaning they are now in for another big windfall.
Diomande celebrates scoring for RB Leipzig in April (Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images)
Diomande settled in quickly at Leipzig, earning his Ivory Coast debut in October. He ended 2025 with seven goals and four assists in 16 Leipzig appearances and went to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he scored one goal before his side were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Egypt on January 10.
That month, many of Europe’s top sides enquired about his availability, but Leipzig had no intention of selling in the January window. Diomande was seen as crucial to their attempts to qualify for the Champions League. Failure to do so the previous season had forced them to tighten their budget and make sales totalling more than €100million.
In February, Diomande switched agents and joined Roc Nation Sports, which also helps manage the careers of Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Endrick and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, among others.
Diomande’s rise to prominence also attracted commercial interest, and he signed a deal with sportswear brand New Balance in April. Madrid were not serious suitors then. They were not in the market for a winger, and Nico Paz was expected to return via a buy-back clause after impressing at Como since leaving Madrid in 2024.
Liverpool were emerging as a likely option. The idea of replacing Mohamed Salah appealed to Diomande. The Ivorian can play on either flank, and versatility is a quality highly valued by Liverpool’s sporting directors.
Diomande scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in 36 games for Leipzig last season (Ronny Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images)
With a contract running until 2030 and no release clause, Leipzig tried to renew Diomande’s deal. The player’s preference was to take his career to the next level, but his camp knew the club would seek a record fee if they were to sell.
Diomande’s agents held meetings with several teams, including Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, who indicated that he did not fit their profile.
In May, Liverpool intensified their interest in Diomande. Leipzig’s demanded €130million, a figure that Liverpool attempted to drive down given their net spend of around £223m over 2025-26, and with other work required this transfer window.
Diomande was attracted by Liverpool and spoke to new head coach Andoni Iraola. After an initial approach, the Premier League club informed Leipzig that they were prepared to offer a package worth about €100million.
That was a long way from what was being asked for in Germany, and another suitor, PSG, entered the frame.
The French club’s president, Nasser Al Khelaifi, has a good relationship with Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff. Football adviser Luis Campos and manager Luis Enrique helped convince Diomande that PSG was his best fit.
Feeling that Liverpool would be in transition over the coming season, Diomande decided he wanted to play under Luis Enrique and win the Champions League. People close to Diomande were convinced that he could win the Ballon d’Or if he joined PSG.
Time passed, and the deal did not go through because PSG were reluctant to meet Diomande’s salary demands and Leipzig’s high price.
Few expected what was about to happen: the sudden emergence of Real Madrid.
Diomande was an impressive performer for Ivory Coast at this summer’s World Cup (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Athletic reported in late June that newly appointed Madrid manager Mourinho and his scouting team had a right-winger on their radar. They were trying to offload Brahim Diaz, who wanted to stay.
There were rumours about a possible move for Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, which Madrid ruled out privately and in an official statement.
Reports linking the France international with Madrid continued but behind the scenes, they were working on a move for Diomande.
In planning talks between Mourinho and Madrid’s board, a need to strengthen the right flank was agreed. It had been noted that Madrid tended to play a lot down the left, where Vinicius Jr takes centre stage, and Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe also shine.
It was felt that the lack of a threat down the right was limiting the team’s attacking options and making it easier for opponents to defend against them. This view was explained to Diomande during Madrid’s discussions with the player, with Mourinho playing a key role.
“The final piece was Jose Mourinho,” says Nathan Campbell, Roc Nation’s head of global football recruitment and Diomande’s agent.
“He spoke to him in fluent French, which was massive for him. We didn’t realise Mourinho spoke fluent French because he hasn’t been at a French club. But the time of day that he took the call with Yan and the fact that he spoke fluently in French with him — about his ideas, the project, and how he would fit into the team — showed that he valued that conversation. That was a massive point. The key to convincing him.”
Madrid also pulled one of their usual touches in these situations, gifting Diomande a white Real Madrid jersey. Diomande was also presented with a career plan offering scope for individual and collective growth, including case studies, such as Vinicius Jr.
Roc Nation’s international president Michael Yormark said the “work” and “sacrifice” Diomande had put in were behind him “reaching his dream” of playing for Real Madrid.
Diomande’s former Spanish club Leganes will also get a share of Leipzig’s fee (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
On July 26, PSG withdrew from the race, saying they refused to agree to the financial terms put forward by the player’s camp and Leipzig.
At the same time, sources close to the player said PSG had been informed of Diomande’s preference to join Madrid. The Spanish club celebrated a partial victory, although there was still work to be done.
Madrid’s first offer, made in mid-July for a package worth around €100million, had been rejected by Leipzig. A second offer, comprising a fixed sum of around €100m and a total package of €120m, was also rejected after being active for about a week. But there was still a general expectation that an agreement would be reached.
By early August, Diomande was absent from a Leipzig camp (the German side said the player was ill). Reports that PSG were preparing a final bid were denied by the French and European champions.
On Monday, August 3, Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer also spoke to Sky Germany, denying different reports that claimed agreement had been reached with Madrid. “That’s simply not the case,” he said. “We’re not at that stage yet.”
However, the breakthrough came the next day and then, that Wednesday, Diomande joined Leipzig’s training camp while waiting for the club’s board to give him the green light to travel to Madrid for a medical.
Hours later, Madrid agreed a deal, which could rise to a club-record €140million, with the transfer confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
