Real Madrid are on the verge of signing Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig for a fee in excess of £100m.
With Jose Mourinho returning to Madrid to take charge this summer, the club have already spent £85m bringing Marc Cucurella, Carlos Espi, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva to the club to bolster their options.
And Los Blancos still look set for a key few weeks in the transfer market, as Rodri is rumoured as a potential midfield incoming, along with Diomande in attack.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior’s future at the club is still uncertain, despite Mourinho wanting to work with him, the Brazilian only has one year left on his deal.
If a new deal cannot be agreed, Vinicius Junior could be on his way to Arsenal this summer, making the Diomande move even more interesting.
In this article, we’ll cover
Last season
Diomande made 36 appearances for RB Leipzig in all competitions last season, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists.
Of his 36 appearances, Diomande played on the left a total of 10 times, playing 26 times from the opposition right flank.
Having joined RB Leipzig after just 10 appearances in La Liga for CD Leganes in the 2024/25 season, the 2025/26 season was truly a breakout one for the Ivory Coast winger.
So much so, Diomande found himself in the World Cup squad for Ivory Coast, having made his international debut at the back end of 2025.
The 19-year-old played on both the left and right during the World Cup, showcasing a number of different qualities.
His ability to beat his man 1v1, winning fouls, creating chances for his teammates and working hard off the ball.
Diomande impressed so much in his first full season of senior football, that Real Madrid are now set to complete a move for the winger, who at such a young age, could still be moulded into a number of different things.
Goal threat (left)
One way you could look to develop and focus Diomande’s traits would be as a goal-getting left-winger.
Being right-footed, Diomande has the ability to cut inside and get shots away on his strong foot when playing off the left.
He is also a powerful runner, using his body well to get across defenders bodies and halt their momentum, which he uses effectively to arrive in the box.
Due to the threat Diomande poses cutting inside on his right, defenders will often look to show him on the outside, where he can use his carrying ability to beat defenders and get into dangerous positions close to goal.
Coming inside on his stronger right foot, Diomande also has the capacity to combine in central areas and carry the ball through the middle, creating tension inside the opposition block.
This gets Diomande closer to goal in central areas, where he could easily improve in regards to shot volume and goal threat.
Creator (right)
The other way you could look to optimise the usage of Diomande, is by continuing to use him off the right, encouraging the winger to play towards his creative instincts.
When coming off the right, Diomande is often looking to find diagonal entry passes from the outside on his right foot, penetrating the block and accessing zone 14.
His ability to find passes through passing lanes that shouldn’t exist opens up opposition defensive schemes.
He can also burst down the outside, whipping crosses across the box on his stronger right foot, using a variety of cutbacks and looped balls towards the back post.
Diomande utilises his two way threat more off the right, standing defenders up, fixing them and bursting past either inside or outside.
Now just because using Diomande on different sides can urge him to play toward a certain set of instincts, that doesn’t mean he can’t do both from both sides.
Real Madrid fit?
Which side Diomande plays on will likely come down to the squad composition come the end of this summers transfer window.
If Vinicius Junior stays, the front three would likely be comprised of himself, Kylian Mbappe and then Diomande on the right.
With Michael Olise being linked earlier in the window to take that role, you could easily see Diomande becoming that primary creator down the right, with Mbappe and Vinicius Junior getting into scoring positions more frequently because of him.
However, if the Brazilian star was to leave this summer, Diomande could play roles on both sides, depending on Mourinho’s plans.
The most likely scenario at that point would be for Diomande to replace Vinicius Junior on the left, becoming more of a goal threat to replace his output.
This would allow either Federico Valverde or Silva to play off the right, creating more of a midfield four at times with Diomande and Mbappe as outlets.
Another option would be for Diomande to remain on the right and Mbappe to get more minutes off the left as he did in his PSG days.
This would allow Mourinho to add a more typical centre-forward, giving Real Madrid a new dynamic with a bigger box threat to tussle with central defenders.
Either way, Diomande will be a great addition to this Real Madrid squad, adding a number of top tier attributes and versatility to the attacking ranks.