INTERVIEW: RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande “happy and motivated” by interest from Europe’s elite | OneFootball

19-year-old Yan Diomande has been one of the breakout stars in the Bundesliga this season, having scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in 35 appearances for RB Leipzig since his €20 million move from Spanish outfit CD Leganés last summer.

The tricky winger’s impressive performances have put him on the radar of several European heavyweights, including Liverpool, with reports suggesting the Reds see him as a potential successor to Mohamed Salah.

During a media roundtable on Wednesday, Bulinews.com asked Diomande how it feels to be the subject of such intense speculation.

“Of course, if you imagine someone saying you have to go to Chelsea or Real Madrid to do this job, you’re going to be happy and motivated to do more,” Diomande said, before underlining that he doesn't allow the speculation to affect his focus.

“But I don’t think about this kind of thing because I’m trying to be focused on the pitch. Because my job is playing football, I leave everything else outside the pitch. It gives me a lot of motivation to see clubs speak about me. I'm focused.”

Diomande in demand

While decision-makers at RB Leipzig have previously made it clear that the plan is to keep Diomande beyond the summer, speculation continues to swirl over the Ivorian international’s future.

Reports have suggested that the teenager could be sold for a fee in the region of €100 million, but Diomande himself insists a transfer is not on his mind as he looks to close out the season with Leipzig and prepare for the World Cup with Côte d’Ivoire.

“My contract runs until 2030, so I have four more years," he underlined. 

"I don’t know what’s going to happen after that. I’m a Leipzig player,” he continued, but also acknowledged that “anything can happen in football.”

To this day, he remains grateful to RB Leipzig and determined to repay the club’s faith after they invested €20 million to bring him to Germany from Leganés.

“That’s a big motivation because nobody knew me before. Paying €20 million for a player that nobody knows is a lot. That was a big risk for them, and I’m thankful for that. We are on a good way, and it’s not over. We need to keep going and keep working hard.”

Early trials in England

While many of his current suitors are from the Premier League, Diomande could have joined an English club earlier in his career.

After moving to an academy in Florida at a young age, the winger had trials with several English clubs – including Chelsea and Crystal Palace – during the 2023/24 season, before ultimately deciding to join Leganés as his first club in Europe.

“I didn’t know what was going on, because I was young, and I had an agent, who was talking with Chelsea and the other clubs,” Diomande said when reflecting on his trials in England.

“But it was fun for me to train with Chelsea and Crystal Palace and see players like [Michael] Olise and [Eberechi] Eze,” he continued, describing it as “a good experience”.

Elite ambitions

After a hugely successful debut season in Germany, Diomande is not shy about his long-term ambitions, even if he remains committed to taking one step at a time.

“I have a new dream every day, so I’m trying to go step by step,” he said.

"It's been an amazing season for me as a young boy, playing at the Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying for the Champions League, and now I'm going to play at the World Cup. I'm proud of myself and the people who followed me since the beginning. 

“I didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly, but of course I have the ambition and vision. I want to become one of the best players in Africa and in Europe," the 19-year-old stressed.