Real Madrid have entered the battle for Yan Diomande, and that matters. It matters for RB Leipzig, it matters for Paris Saint-Germain, and it certainly matters for Liverpool, who had already tested the water earlier in the summer over a deal worth close to €100million. Once Madrid show up, the market changes. Prices move, agents gain leverage, and clubs with genuine interest quickly discover whether they are truly prepared to go all the way.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Madrid are now in talks with Leipzig over the 19-year-old winger. PSG remain keen and, crucially, Diomande had made the European champions his preferred destination. That preference is relevant, though only up to a point. Leipzig are under no pressure to sell, the player is contracted until 2030, and no club gets a discount just because it happens to be favoured by the player.
This is where Liverpool’s position starts to look awkward. They made an approach earlier in the window, with the report stating it was “approaching €100million (£86.8m; $115m) in value.” Leipzig, however, were “holding out for a fee closer to €130m” while also attempting to secure Diomande on a new deal. In other words, the German club’s stance has been clear from the start. If someone wants one of the most explosive young wide players in Europe, they will pay heavily for the privilege.
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Yan Diomande Price Keeps Rising
There is no mystery around Leipzig’s public line either. “Our clear intention is that Yan Diomande will play for RB Leipzig next year,” the club’s managing director of sport Marcel Shafer said. Clubs say things like this all the time, and sometimes they are posturing. Sometimes they are setting up a negotiation. In this case, it looks more like a simple message, bring a huge fee or go away.
That fee could end up making Diomande Leipzig’s biggest sale ever, beyond the €90m Manchester City paid for Josko Gvardiol in 2023 and beyond the €76.5m plus…
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