Yan Diomande to Real Madrid nears €135m record deal
Real Madrid expect to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in a deal that could become the club’s biggest transfer, ESPN reports.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Real Madrid are closing in on Yan Diomande, with ESPN reporting that the club expect to complete a deal for the RB Leipzig winger in the coming hours.
Sources told ESPN that Madrid were set to finish the move between Monday and Tuesday. The agreement is expected to be worth up to €135 million, around $153.8 million, including variables.
The guaranteed part of the transfer is expected to land between €115 million and €120 million, according to ESPN. If the conditional payments are reached, the deal would become the most expensive transfer in Real Madrid history.
How much is Real Madrid paying for Yan Diomande?
ESPN reports that the total package for Diomande is expected to reach €135 million if add-ons are triggered. In football transfers, variables are extra payments tied to agreed conditions, such as performance targets or team achievements.
That figure would take Diomande past Madrid’s previous record outlays, ESPN reported, surpassing the club’s deals for Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and Eden Hazard from Chelsea.
Diomande, 19, has become one of the most talked-about young attackers in Europe after a sharp rise that took him from the United States to LaLiga, the Bundesliga and the World Cup in a little over two years.
According to ESPN, he was at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, two years ago. He then joined Leganés in January 2025, first playing for the club’s reserve side before earning a move to RB Leipzig six months later.
His season in Germany made Madrid move. ESPN reported that Diomande scored 12 goals and added eight assists in the Bundesliga as Leipzig finished third.
He also stood out for Ivory Coast at the World Cup. ESPN said Diomande created 11 chances across four appearances before Ivory Coast were knocked out by Norway in the round of 32.
Paris Saint-Germain had been strongly linked with Diomande before Real Madrid entered the chase, according to ESPN.
What does this mean for Madrid’s summer?
The Diomande move would add another name to an already busy Real Madrid window. ESPN has reported that the club have signed Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva and Denzel Dumfries this summer.
Madrid are also increasingly hopeful about signing Manchester City midfielder Rodri, a source told ESPN. The outlet reported last week that Madrid were no longer ruling out a move for Spain’s World Cup-winning captain after earlier concerns about his injury record.
ESPN said Rodri’s World Cup performances changed views among senior Madrid executives. A Madrid source told the outlet that City would likely want to sign a replacement before allowing Rodri to leave, with the midfielder having one year left on his contract in Manchester.
ESPN has also reported that Madrid would need departures if they keep adding to new coach José Mourinho’s squad.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.