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

Sunderland held talks over a move for Yan Diomande before his around £17 million switch to RB Leipzig, his agent has revealed.

"That's right. During negotiations with Leipzig, things also became very concrete with Sunderland. However, they didn't want to trigger the release clause," said agent Wolfgang Meier, speaking to Sky Sports.

Leipzig signed the then 19-year-old from Leganes last summer after activating a €20 million clause and handing him a five-year deal. He has since become one of the Bundesliga's standout young dribblers.

The episode offers a glimpse into Florent Ghisolfi's summer approach, targeting high-upside forwards with resale potential, though £17 million was a major outlay for a player with limited senior minutes at that point.

Born in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast international moved to the United States at 15, joined DME Academy in 2022 and played high school football for the Yulee Hornets. He had a trial at Rangers before moving to Spain with Leganes, initially featuring for their reserves. He made his La Liga debut against Real Madrid in March 2025, then scored his first professional goal versus Espanyol later that season.

He scored his first Leipzig goal in the DFB-Pokal against SV Sandhausen before opening 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