Real Madrid have £85m Diomande bid rejected as Liverpool interest cools

Real Madrid have had a €100m (£85.4m) bid rejected by RB Leipzig for Ivorian winger Yan Diomande, in a move that has surprised rivals who believed Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain were the frontrunners for his signature. Leipzig are said to want a package closer to €130m before they will sanction a sale.

The Spanish giants’ offer is understood to comprise €90m guaranteed plus €10m in add-ons, but Leipzig have so far held firm, hopeful they can also persuade the 19-year-old to sign a new contract despite having four years left on his current deal.

Liverpool’s interest cooled weeks ago

Liverpool had been heavily linked with Diomande earlier in the transfer window but stepped back from the race in late June after seeing bids for him turned down and being told of his preference to join PSG instead. Arsenal have also been credited with interest in the winger at various points this summer.

Diomande is reported to have agreed personal terms with PSG, but the French champions have struggled for weeks to reach an agreement with Leipzig over a fee, leaving the door open for Real Madrid to make their audacious move. The Bundesliga club’s resistance now means all interested parties face a battle to get a deal over the line before the window shuts.

A breakout season and a World Cup outing

Diomande enjoyed a productive campaign for Leipzig last season, contributing 12 goals and eight assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances to establish himself as one of the division’s most sought-after attacking talents. He also featured for Ivory Coast at the World Cup, registering one assist in four matches as Les Elephants were eliminated in the last 32.

Real Madrid have been active in the market this summer under Jose Mourinho, having already added Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries to their squad, while continuing to be linked with Manchester City’s Rodri. A successful move for Diomande would likely open the door for Brahim Diaz to leave the Bernabeu before the window closes.

With Leipzig standing firm on their valuation and PSG yet to strike an agreement, the saga looks set to run for some time yet, with Liverpool watching from the sidelines having already turned their attention elsewhere.

Sources

• Evening Standard
• Sky Sports

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.