Florentino wins race for Diomande as Real Madrid finalise €120m-€130m move | OneFootball

Yan Diomande will join Real Madrid on a five-year deal after they saw off Paris Saint-Germain, with Madrid and Leipzig finalising a transfer worth between €120 million and €130 million.

PSG pulled out of the race, saying in a statement that the asking price and wage demands were disproportionate and would have unbalanced the market, adding it would adhere to rigorous financial management and squad balance.

The 19-year-old will be the club’s fifth signing of this window, following Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté and Bernardo Silva. Madrid plan to confirm the move in the coming hours and he is due to link up with José Mourinho’s squad this week.

That stance comes despite PSG previously paying some of the game’s biggest sums, including €222 million for Neymar, €180 million for Kylian Mbappé, €90 million for Kolo Muani, €75 million for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and €68 million for Achraf Hakimi.

Diomande played 10 matches and scored once for Leganés before a €20 million switch to Leipzig, having cost Leganés €1.5 million. He made 32 appearances for Leipzig last season and featured 14 times for Ivory Coast.

His desire to return to Madrid proved decisive in closing the deal. The outlay has sparked debate among Madridistas given the scale of the fee.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo