Agent says Sunderland held talks before £17m RB Leipzig move for Yan Diomande | OneFootball

“During negotiations with Leipzig, things also became very concrete with Sunderland. However, they didn’t want to trigger the release clause.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Diomande’s agent, Wolfgang Meier, also said:

“Many other clubs who could have paid the €20million said they found the player very interesting, but a transfer was too risky due to his limited playing time. Of the big Bundesliga clubs, only Borussia Dortmund showed interest in him. However, they indicated to me that they preferred to sign someone with more experience.”

“No information leaked until the day before Yan signed. Only on the last day did clubs like VfL Wolfsburg and Sporting suddenly want to jump in.”

The episode offers a glimpse into Sunderland’s summer planning under Florent Ghisolfi. Diomande matched the club’s preference for young attackers with resale upside, though the £17m release clause was a significant commitment at that stage.

The 19-year-old joined Leipzig from Leganes last summer on a five-year deal. He scored in the DFB-Pokal against SV Sandhausen, then opened his Bundesliga account in a 6-0 win at Augsburg. He later hit a hat-trick in a 6-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, becoming the second-youngest to do so in Bundesliga history behind Walter Bechtold in 1965.

Source: Sunderland Echo