Manchester City have verbally indicated they are prepared to offer around €100 million for Yan Diomande, but there is no official written offer yet. RB Leipzig are still holding out for significantly more, Real Madrid's €90 million plus €10 million in performance-related add-ons has already been rejected, and Paris Saint Germain remain in the wider chase.
Leipzig's stance on the fee
Leipzig do not look like a club under pressure to sell cheaply. They want a fee significantly above the €100 million mark if Diomande goes this summer, and Marcel Schafer has been blunt about the club's position: "Our clear intention is: Yan Diomande plays for RB Leipzig next year. And we are not wavering from that."
The pricing makes sense from their side. Diomande joined Leipzig only one year ago from CD Leganes, and the club finished 3rd in the Bundesliga with 65 points. That is a decent place to negotiate from, especially when a major Madrid bid has already been turned away.
City's late move and Diomande's own view
City's interest changes the shape of the race, even if they are only at the verbal stage for now. Their reported willingness to go to around €100 million puts another heavyweight into a contest that already includes Madrid and PSG, both of whom have been circling earlier.
Diomande has also made his own expectation clear. He said: "I assume that I will leave. I have an agent. He will take care of the rest."
His World Cup form also helps explain why the bidding is getting so noisy. He has rated 7.13 across 4 World Cup appearances, while City finished 2nd in the Premier League with 78 points and Madrid finished 2nd in La Liga with 86 points. Those are the kinds of clubs that can keep pushing a deal into a much higher bracket.
The key point now is simple enough: City have entered the race, but Leipzig still set the price. If the fee rises further, this looks set to become a summer auction rather than a quick sale.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
