Real Madrid Ready to Spend €120 Million on Diomande
Transfer saga over RB Leipzig winger enters final stretch, with the Spanish giants reportedly eager to complete a medical quickly. Leipzig, meanwhile, brings back Norway's World Cup hero.
Transfer saga over RB Leipzig winger enters final stretch, with the Spanish giants reportedly eager to complete a medical quickly. Leipzig, meanwhile, brings back Norway's World Cup hero.
Negotiations between RB Leipzig and Real Madrid over the transfer of winger Yan Diomande are intensifying. According to Sky, the two clubs are in intensive talks with the aim of finalizing the deal in the coming hours. The Royal club reportedly has a "clear goal" to conduct the medical for the Ivory Coast international as soon as possible and prevent him from traveling to Leipzig's Austrian training camp, where he has not yet appeared due to illness.
The Bundesliga club is demanding a fee of €120 million plus bonuses for their winger. Diomande arrived in Leipzig only in the summer of 2025 as a relatively unknown name from Spain's Leganes for €20 million, after just ten appearances for the first team. In his debut season, he exploded with 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 competitive matches, attracting the attention of Europe's biggest clubs.
Interest in the 22-year-old has been shown by Liverpool, his preferred club Paris Saint-Germain, and even Bayern Munich. However, Real Madrid is now on the verge of winning this race. The Royal club, it seems, is not concerned about potential complications that could accompany this transfer.
Behind the scenes, a dispute between agencies has been simmering for months. Maxidel Management, the agency that handled Diomande's arrival in Leipzig last year, still believes it holds the player's transfer rights and is seeking a share of the proceeds, while he is now represented by a new agency, Roc Nation. If a deal between Real and Leipzig is finalized, FIFA will likely launch an investigation.
Leipzig's sporting director, Marcel Schäfer, commented on the whole situation to Sky and mocked earlier reports of a done deal.
"I understand it's a hot topic, but basically I don't want to comment on talks between two clubs. If we have something to announce, we will. One or two transfer experts have already described it as 'done' or 'Here we go' seven or ten days ago. But that's simply not the case. A lot is involved. It's not that far along yet,"said Schäfer.
His comment referred to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, who about a week ago described a deal worth €100 million as "done" and announced a medical. To this day, that has not happened. Now it seems the negotiations could finally gain real momentum.
While the Diomande saga continues, RB Leipzig officially confirmed the return of Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. The experienced 35-year-old has signed a contract until 2028 and returns to the club as a free agent after his contract with Sevilla expired at the end of June. Nyland previously played for Leipzig on loan in the 2022-23 season.
Last month, Nyland became a national hero during Norway's historic run to the World Cup quarterfinals. In a dramatic 2-1 victory over Brazil in the round of 16, he saved a penalty from Bruno Guimaraes.
"When the opportunity arose to return to RB Leipzig, I didn't have to think twice. I have many positive memories of the club and the people here, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them again,"said the Norwegian international with 76 caps for his country, who has also played for Molde, FC Ingolstadt, Aston Villa, and Reading in his career.
