Marcel Schäfer has pushed back on the idea that Yan Diomande's move to Real Madrid is already finished. Speaking to bundesliga.com, the RB Leipzig sporting director said the club are "not there yet" and rejected the "here we go" talk around the transfer.
Schäfer's correction on the transfer talk
The clearest line from Schäfer was simple enough. "A few days ago, one or two so-called transfer experts were saying the deal was done, or posting 'here we go' – but that's simply not the case. We're not there yet," he said.
He also addressed the agency side of the story. Schäfer said Leipzig's point of contact is now Roc Nation after a change of agents, and added that he does not think the transfer would fall through because of the dispute.
That is the part that matters most for the public noise around the move. Leipzig are not saying nothing is happening, but they are not treating the situation as settled either. Schäfer also said Diomande is recovering well and is still their player under contract.
Why Leipzig are not treating this as finished
The numbers help explain why the interest is serious. Diomande made 33 Bundesliga appearances in his debut season, scored 12 goals and provided 8 assists. He also won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award.
He has played 4 World Cup matches this summer as well, so this is not a case of a player fading from view between club seasons. Leipzig are dealing with a player whose profile has stayed high, which is why the transfer chatter keeps circling back.
For now, though, the line from Leipzig is the important one. The deal is not done, the agent issue is not being treated as a deal-breaker, and Schäfer has put the brakes on the finished-deal narrative.
The next concrete checkpoint is whether Diomande reports to training in Austria once he is recovered, as Schäfer said he would.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
