Updated: 3 Aug 2026 16:03 BST |
5 min read
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RB Leipzig have hit back at transfer insider Fabrizio Romano for claiming that Yan Diomande’s proposed move to Real Madrid is a done deal.
The Ivorian has been the protagonist of one of the most bizarre and drawn-out sagas of the summer so far. Diomande, a key target for several European giants, initially looked poised to join PSG after snubbing Liverpool.
However, the French giants refused to meet the financial demands of Leipzig and the player, thus withdrawing from the negotiations. This allowed Real Madrid to swoop in and agree terms with Diomande.
That was more than a week ago now, though, and there has still not been a breakthrough in talks between the clubs. All the while, Diomande has returned from his post-World Cup holiday, though he did not travel with Leipzig to their pre-season training camp.
While this has been playing out quite publicly, there has also been a behind-the-scenes legal issue that has quietly rumbled on for several months, pertaining to the 19-year-old’s switch from Maxidel Management to Roc Nation.
Leipzig hit back at “so-called experts”
Despite no longer representing Diomande, Maxidel Management will allegedly be owed a portion of his transfer fee, which is why the matter is so complicated.
Some reports have claimed that Real Madrid were unaware of the dispute between the two agencies, and that this is holding up Diomande’s transfer, which was reported to be a done deal by insider Fabrizio Romano on 26 July.
At the time, the Italian’s claim sparked a social media feud with fellow transfer reporter Florian Plettenberg, whose information, corroborated by David Ornstein, was that no agreement between the clubs had been reached.
Plettenberg has consistently maintained in the days since that, although there is an expectation that common ground will be found, this has not yet happened. He accused Romano of jumping the gun, and the two then proceeded to publicly air their dirty laundry.
Romano now insists that the deal is being held up because Leipzig have not yet found a replacement, but this also doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. The Bundesliga outfit already have a broad-strokes agreement with Hoffenheim forward Fisnik Asllani, who can be signed via a release clause.
The Italian, who has faced strong criticism on social media for his silence on Gianni Infantino’s doomed plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup, has now received an unambiguous broadside from Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer for his erroneous reporting on Diomande.
“It’s clear that some so-called transfer experts reported a few days ago that the deal was done or gave it the ‘here we go.’ That’s simply not the case. We’re not at that stage yet,” Schafer told Sky Germany.
He also voiced his belief that the legal dispute between Maxidel Management and Roc Nation will not jeopardise Diomande’s transfer if an agreement with Real Madrid is reached. “From my perspective, it’s a clear no,” he said.
“I’m not aware of that. There has been a change of agents. Our point of contact is now Roc Nation – that’s something Yan made very clear to us. I don’t think a transfer would fall through because of that, if it even comes to a transfer in the first place.”
Leipzig continue to insist that they want to keep Diomande for another season, and they are demanding a fee in the region of €130 million, but it is believed that the player has already made up his mind and decided to move on.
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