Real Madrid's search for a marquee attacking reinforcement this summer has taken a decisive turn. Sport5 reports the club has effectively given up on Michael Olise and is now closing in on a deal for RB Leipzig's teenage winger Yan Diomande, with the fee expected to land somewhere between €115m and €120m.
Olise had been described, according to the report, as Florentino Pérez's personal dream signing for much of the year. But Bayern Munich have refused to even open negotiations for the French international, and Madrid's hierarchy have concluded that a move simply is not realistic this window.
That resistance from Munich pushed Real Madrid's recruitment staff toward Diomande, a 19-year-old Ivorian winger who has emerged as one of the Bundesliga's breakout stars over the past year.
Madrid's first formal offer, worth a fixed €90m plus €10m in add-ons, was rejected by Leipzig, who had been holding out for a fee closer to €130m fixed. RB Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schäfer publicly insisted the club's intention was for Diomande to stay for at least another season, telling reporters at the time: "Our clear intention is that Yan Diomande will play for RB Leipzig next season."
The gap between the two sides has narrowed considerably since then. Sport5's figure of €115-120m tracks with reporting from Goal.com and other outlets, which describe the clubs as putting the finishing touches on an agreement in that range, including bonuses.
Diomande enjoyed a breakout campaign at Leipzig, contributing 12 goals and eight assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances and picking up the division's Rookie of the Season award. Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with interest in the winger earlier in the window, but reporting consistently points to Real Madrid as his preferred destination.
Should the fee be finalised in the range Sport5 describes, Diomande would rank among the most expensive teenage transfers in football history and would arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu as one of Madrid's headline additions of the summer.
The final number has not been confirmed by either club, and reports elsewhere have placed Real Madrid's improved offer anywhere from €100m to €120m — a reminder that, until documents are signed, the exact figure remains a moving target in this transfer saga.
