Real Madrid has officially signed teenage sensation Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, the Spanish club announced.
The 19-year-old has secured a seven-year contract, as confirmed in Madrid’s statement.
Diomande emerged as one of the most sought-after talents in football after a standout season in Germany‘s Bundesliga, where he netted 12 goals and assisted eight others. His impressive performances continued with the Ivory Coast during the World Cup.
According to sources, Madrid will pay €125 million ($144 million) for Diomande, with an additional €10 million in easily reached bonuses and a further €5 million in harder-to-achieve incentives.
If all bonuses are met, this transfer would set a new record for Madrid, surpassing the fees paid for Jude Bellingham in 2023 and Eden Hazard in 2019.
ESPN reported last week that Madrid was close to finalizing the deal for Diomande, but final agreements took longer as both clubs negotiated specifics.
He departed RB Leipzig’s preseason training on Thursday morning to complete his medical examination in Spain ahead of the official announcement.
Diomande is the latest addition to an active summer for Real Madrid, who have also welcomed Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, and Carlos Espí during this transfer window.
Under new manager José Mourinho, Madrid aims to reclaim the LaLiga title after two seasons without a major trophy.
Just in 2024, Diomande was playing at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, before moving to Spanish club Leganés. He initially joined the reserve team but progressed rapidly, leading to his €20 million transfer to Leipzig in July 2025.
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Diomande earned the Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Season award for 2025-26, shining as Leipzig secured a third-place finish, and he emerged as one of the standout young talents at the World Cup this summer as the Ivory Coast advanced to the round of 32.
Paris Saint-Germain had shown strong interest in Diomande and so did several Premier League clubs before Madrid stepped in.
Nathan Campbell, head of global football recruitment at Roc Nation Sports International and Diomande’s agent, shared with ESPN, “In our initial discussions, Yan expressed that Real Madrid was his dream destination. We couldn’t foresee this opportunity arising so soon, but once Real Madrid showed interest, there was only one path for him.”
Contributions to this report came from Tom Hamilton and Leonard Solms of ESPN.