Fabrizio Romano says Yan Diomande to Real Madrid is already done. Florian Plettenberg says club-to-club negotiations will continue and Diomande is due back at RB Leipzig the next day. David Ornstein has backed the move too, but still described it as expected rather than finished.

Romano's version of the deal

Romano posted his usual all-caps version of events: agreement closed with RB Leipzig, medical tests and contract signing due in Madrid this week, and a fee over €100m. Plettenberg pushed back within the hour, saying the move was not yet fully across the line.

That split is the story here. Romano’s line is that the deal is closed. Plettenberg’s is that the final negotiation is still to run. Ornstein sits between them, saying Real Madrid are expected to sign Diomande and adding that a first bid was rejected around 10 days ago, while a second offer, described as €100m fixed and €120m package, is set to be rejected.

Madrid's attack already looks crowded

The Diomande move also lands in a squad that is already heavy on elite attacking talent. Real Madrid's attacking group is described as worth more than £760 million (€900 million) combined, which is a pretty direct clue that this is not a side shopping for cover or compromise.

Vinícius Júnior's contract is said to expire in June 2027, so the wider market chatter around Madrid's forward line is not going away. The figures tied to Diomande only sharpen that picture. He is described as a more than £85 million (€100 million) signing, has four appearances and 295 minutes in the 2025/26 World Cup, and carries a 7.13 average rating. That is the profile of a player being bought to matter, not to sit quietly in the background.

Mbappé has 10 goals in eight appearances and Bellingham has seven in eight, so Madrid's attacking ceiling is already high. Another big forward addition makes the competition even tighter, which is why this transfer feels like more than a simple headline deal.

The argument around Diomande is not really about whether Real Madrid like him. It is about whether the reporting has moved past the stage where one journalist can call it done while another is still talking about negotiations in progress. Right now, Plettenberg and Ornstein suggest caution is still needed, even if the move itself looks close.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →