Real Madrid have entered the race for Yan Diomande and the player has shown a willingness to consider their approach, amid rival interest from Paris Saint-Germain and links with Arsenal.
David Ornstein broke the news for The Athletic on Friday that Real Madrid had entered the race for Yan Diomande, and that the Spanish club are in talks with RB Leipzig for a potential transfer.
Ornstein had previously reported that Diomande had made Paris Saint-Germain his preference for a summer transfer, but with PSG unable to reach an agreement with Leipzig so far, Real Madrid are now hoping to lure the winger away.
Sky Sports News report that Real Madrid’s initial bid of €100m including add-ons has been rejected, but Fabrizio Romano reports that the La Liga club are set to return with an even higher offer.
Crucially, Romano claims Diomande is open to the Real Madrid move, and would welcome them as his next destination. Despite previously expressing a preference for PSG, Diomande is clearly open to joining other clubs this summer.
That’s mixed news from an Arsenal perspective. On the one hand, Romano also recently reported that the Gunners had made fresh contact over a potential move for Diomande.
If the player is open to joining clubs other than PSG, that could potentially give Arsenal a way into the race.
The obvious downside is that the Gunners would now be competing in a bidding war with two of the richest clubs on the planet. Liverpool are presumably also lurking, having shown an interest in Diomande earlier in the summer.
Diomande scored 13 goals and assisted another 10 in his 36 appearances for Leipzig last season, which was his first campaign with the German club.
The teenager then went to the World Cup with Cote d’Ivoire and assisted one goal in four games, before their elimination by Norway in the round-of-32.
One upside of that early exit is that Diomande will be back in action long before the start of the new season, so he should be fully up to speed for Leipzig, PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, or anyone else by the time their competitive campaigns get going.
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