Real Madrid have moved ahead of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in a deal that could be worth up to 140m euros, underlining the club’s determination to rebuild after two disappointing seasons.
The agreement represents the latest major step in the new project being developed by returning manager Jose Mourinho at Santiago Bernabeu. Diomande is set to become Real Madrid’s sixth signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrivals of Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Carlos Espe.
The scale of the proposed fee for Diomande reflects Real Madrid’s desire to strengthen significantly rather than make only limited changes to their squad. The club have responded to their disappointing recent campaigns by pursuing a series of high-profile additions, with the Leipzig player now at the centre of that recruitment drive.
A report by The Athletic detailed how Real Madrid succeeded in overcoming competition from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain to secure the deal for Diomande.
Mourinho played an unexpected role in helping the Spanish club complete the move. A phone call in a language that was not expected to be central to the negotiations made the returning manager an unanticipated figure in the transfer, described in the original report as an “unknown soldier” in the agreement.
Diomande’s name had not initially been associated with Real Madrid. The indications in recent days had instead suggested that the player was close to joining Paris Saint-Germain.
That change in direction has allowed Real Madrid to take control of the race and add another player to Mourinho’s rebuilding plans at Santiago Bernabeu. The club’s success in beating both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain is particularly significant given that Diomande had appeared to be moving towards the French side.
His arrival would take the number of summer recruits to six, with Real Madrid having already added Konate, Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Cucurella and Carlos Espe. The sequence of signings shows the breadth of the changes being pursued by the club following two seasons that failed to meet expectations.
The potential 140m-euro value of the transfer would also make Diomande one of the most notable elements of the new project. However, the key development is that Real Madrid have been able to change the course of negotiations despite initially being absent from the player’s list of likely destinations.
Mourinho’s intervention, and the call highlighted by The Athletic, helped provide the unexpected turn that brought Diomande closer to Santiago Bernabeu. The deal is now presented as further evidence of Real Madrid’s resolve to reinforce their squad with major acquisitions under their returning manager.
