Yan Diomande has so far been the summer transfer window’s main character.
Paris Saint-Germain retain an interest in RB Leipzig’s Ivory Coast international winger, who is currently at the World Cup and due to face Germany this weekend, but have not yet made a firm offer. So far, Liverpool are making the strongest attempt to sign the 19-year-old.
On Thursday, The Athletic reported that the Premier League club had made a second proposal for Diomande, this one approaching €100million (£86.8m; $115m) in value. Leipzig have indicated that package did not meet their valuation, but Liverpool’s pursuit is expected to continue, prompting a recap of the current situation.
Diomande is a fast-moving player. As is widely known, he has made great strides through the game in recent years, from the United Premier Soccer League in the U.S. to Leganes in Spain to the German Bundesliga and now that €100million Liverpool offer, all within 24 months. It has been an amazing rise.
Frighteningly quick and one of the most coveted talents on the planet.
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The current saga can be traced back to January, when all sorts of clubs made enquiries for Diomande. In fact, it would be easier to name the major teams who did not express at least a passing interest.
Beyond those currently battling for his signature now, Manchester United tentatively explored the possibility of a deal, as did Tottenham Hotspur. Neither made a formal offer, dissuaded both by the €100million price tag and Leipzig’s determination that Diomande would be going nowhere at mid-season.
That valuation has been and remains contentious. Eyebrow-raising, even, given that Diomande cost Leipzig just €20million when he was signed from Leganes last summer, has played fewer than 50 top-flight games in his career, and has never made an appearance in the Champions League or any other European competition.
For background, Leipzig’s calculation is relatively easy to follow.
When he joined last summer, The Athletic talked to members of staff at the German side — speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships — who expected Diomande to reach that valuation within two years. More than one source familiar with the situation referenced the figure, making it sound like an internal target. But the plan was for two years, not one. He is ahead of schedule.
What became obvious at the beginning of last season was that Diomande was capable of being an immediate impact player in the Bundesliga.
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By the turn of the year, he had produced match-winning performances against Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt, establishing himself as one of the division’s difference makers. Interest during the winter window was inevitable, but it was also nothing new. One of the reasons Leipzig were so quick to activate Diomande’s release clause at Leganes is because, as acknowledged by sporting director Marcel Schaefer in an interview with The Athletic last season, they knew concluding a deal swiftly was their only chance of signing him.
They felt bigger offers were coming, from several of the clubs who remain interested now. Leipzig were convinced by what their data scouting had shown them after just half a season in Spain. Others wanted a broader sample size.
Their valuation has increased over the past six months. The club’s position in January was that Diomande was not for sale under any circumstances.
In 2024-25, Leipzig had finished seventh in the Bundesliga, their worst season since being promoted in 2016, and it left them without Champions League football, or any other income from continental competition.
That budget deficit necessitated a raft of sales. Benjamin Sesko, Lois Openda and Xavi Simons all departed — although Simons and Openda would likely have left regardless — and the summer of 2025 saw them carry out an expansive rebuild. The aim, of course, was to qualify again for the Champions League. So Diomande felt untouchable in the winter window because he was essential to that ambition.
Achieving it, as they did by finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, would also alleviate any budgetary issues, thereby creating a stronger negotiating position. That’s partly why that €100million asking price has moved north, up towards €130m, and why the proposal Liverpool sent this week was not deemed sufficient.
The other, more pertinent factor is how well Diomande has been playing.
Six months on from January, he has finished his debut Bundesliga season with 20 goal involvements (12 goals, eight assists) — an outstanding return for anyone who does not play for Bayern — and been voted the division’s young player of the season.
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Naturally, his value has increased, and the heavy spending in recent years, mainly by clubs in the Premier League, has made it easy to contextualise such a fee. Diomande will not be 20 until November but, as the World Cup is showing, he is already a mainstream talent. Liverpool alone have concluded deals for Hugo Ekitike (€95million), Florian Wirtz (€125m) and Alexander Isak (€145m) in the past year.
When it was put to Uli Hoeness, Bayern’s honorary president, that Real Madrid might be interested in signing their 24-year-old France forward Michael Olise, he responded by suggesting that even €200million would not be enough to do so.
So, there are arguments to be made about who is worth what, whether Premier League experience is as important as assumed and how much value lies in unrealised potential, but none of that matters as much as the fact that the market has exploded.
To sign a top player who is under contract, clubs now have to reach beyond €100million.
And that’s where anyone interested in buying Diomande, this startlingly gifted winger, will have to go.