According to Sky, Real Madrid and Leverkusen have entered the final stages of negotiations for the transfer of Diomande, with the transfer fee expected to be between 130 and 140 million euros.

The Ivorian player will become the second most expensive transfer in Bundesliga history, only surpassed by Ousmane Dembele, who moved from Dortmund to Barcelona for 148 million euros. Previously, the reported transfer fee was 120 million euros.

Transfer journalist Ben Jacobs even claimed that both parties have reached a verbal agreement on the transfer terms; however, Sky is currently unwilling to confirm that the deal has been fully approved. Final approval is expected in the afternoon, when Real Madrid's board of directors will first approve the transfer.

Diomande had already traveled to the Bundesliga team's training camp on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Ivorian player officially missed out last Saturday before departure due to illness, and then arrived in Saalfelden, Austria, after recovering from the infection. Real Madrid had initially hoped to prevent this situation so that Diomande could go directly to Madrid for a medical examination.

However, this plan did not materialize, as negotiations with the Saxon team were protracted. For example, transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano described the deal as finalized more than a week ago, which drew him considerable criticism.

RB Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer stated on Sky on Tuesday: "When we have news to announce, we will announce it. Seven to ten days ago, one or two transfer experts were already calling this deal 'done' or 'Here we go', but that wasn't the case. Many things need to be considered, and now is not the time."

Long before, even before the end of last season, Diomande had already attracted the attention of several top clubs. Liverpool, his preferred Paris Saint-Germain, and even Bayern had considered signing the winger. Now, it seems Real Madrid will secure the deal. Real Madrid also doesn't seem to be concerned if there will be any further changes to the transfer.

Behind Diomande, a dispute over agency rights has been ongoing for several months. Maxidel Management, which handled his transfer from Leganés to RB Leipzig last summer, and Diomande's new agency team, Roc Nation, both believe they are in the right. Maxidel Management believes that despite the change in agency teams, they still hold the transfer rights for the player and expect their rightful share. If the deal between Real Madrid and Leipzig is ultimately finalized, FIFA will launch an investigation.

Diomande only joined RB Leipzig as an inconspicuous new signing in the summer of 2025, with a transfer fee of 20 million euros. At that time, he had only played 10 official matches for Leganés. He then quickly broke out, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists in 36 official matches.

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