Marcel Schafer, RB Leipzig’s sporting director, says there is still no agreement with Real Madrid over a possible transfer for Yan Diomande, despite reports that a deal for the player had already been settled.
Diomande did not travel with Leipzig to Austria on Saturday, with the club citing illness, although he has continued to train on his own.
Speaking to Sky Sport Germany on Monday, Schafer rejected claims that the transfer had reached its final stages.
“Obviously, some supposed experts in the transfer market reported a few days ago that the agreement had been reached or gave the green light. That is simply not the case. We have not reached that stage yet,” he said.
The situation has been complicated by a change in Diomande’s representation. Schafer confirmed that Roc Nation is now the club’s point of contact for the player.
“There has been a change of agents. Our contact is now Roc Nation, and Yan made that absolutely clear to us. I do not believe a transfer will fail because of that, if a transfer happens at all,” he added.
Diomande returned to Leipzig training last Monday after completing his holiday in Abidjan, following his participation in the World Cup.
On the same day, the player underwent a medical examination and took part in part of the group session, which was open to the media and supporters. However, speculation continued in the background over a possible move to Real Madrid, with no agreement reached.
The following day, Diomande returned to the club’s training centre. He completed the first session individually and did not join the squad for the second session.
It appeared Leipzig were unwilling to take any risks with the player while a transfer of such significance remained a possibility, particularly given the potential consequences of an injury.
In recent days, Diomande has trained alone and has not worked under Demichelis. The article states that Demichelis has not yet met the player and that Diomande has not trained under his direction during this period.
Dispute involving former and current agents
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the proposed transfer is also being held up by a dispute involving Diomande’s representatives.
Maxidell Management, the player’s former agency, has filed a claim against his current representatives, Roc Nation. The legal disagreement is currently obstructing the Leipzig player’s potential move to Real Madrid.
The dispute concerns a transfer commission and has reached FIFA. It has also caused considerable frustration within Real Madrid, who negotiated with Roc Nation without apparently being told that legal proceedings were already under way.
Roc Nation is a multinational company owned by rapper Jay-Z. The agency also represents Vinicius Junior and Endrick.
The dispute is understood to involve Max Gradell, the owner of Maxidell Management. According to the report, Real Madrid were negotiating with Roc Nation while the agency was involved in the unresolved legal conflict with Maxidell.
For now, Schafer’s comments indicate that the transfer remains at the negotiation stage rather than being a completed agreement. Diomande’s training arrangements and the separate disagreement over his representation have added further uncertainty to a deal that has been widely linked with Real Madrid.
