Real Madrid have had a €100m offer for RB Leipzig winger Ousmane Diomande turned down, with Paris Saint-Germain still firmly in the race to sign the Ivory Coast international this summer, according to reports.
Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday that Real submitted a formal proposal to Leipzig this week worth a total of €100m for the 19-year-old.
The bid is understood to have been structured as €90m guaranteed, plus a further €10m in performance-related add-ons.
Leipzig, however, are said to have rejected the approach and are holding out for a fee in excess of €100m before agreeing to sell the highly rated wide player, while negotiations between the clubs remain ongoing.
Romano added that talks between Real Madrid and Leipzig have not broken down, with both clubs still exploring whether a compromise can be reached over the eventual transfer fee and payment structure.
PSG maintain strong interest
Paris Saint-Germain are also pushing hard to sign Diomande and have been in discussions with Leipzig for several weeks.
Those talks have yet to produce a final agreement between the French champions and the Bundesliga club, with a gap still believed to exist over the valuation of the player.
Despite that, PSG are described as being “still very much in the race” for the winger, who has become one of the most sought-after attacking prospects in Europe during the current transfer window.
German newspaper Bild reported on Thursday that Diomande has already reached a personal agreement with PSG on a long-term deal running until 2031.
At this stage, though, PSG have not submitted an official bid to Leipzig, leaving Real Madrid as the only club to have put a concrete financial offer on the table for the Ivory Coast international.
Liverpool bid also rejected
Real Madrid’s unsuccessful move is not the first time Leipzig have turned down a nine-figure offer for Diomande.
Earlier in the window, the German side also refused to sell the winger to Liverpool for €100m, underlining their determination to extract a higher fee if they decide to cash in on one of their leading assets.
Leipzig’s stance places them in a strong negotiating position as they deal with three of Europe’s biggest clubs, all of whom have been linked with Diomande during the summer window.
While Bild’s report of a verbal agreement between Diomande and PSG suggests the French club may hold an advantage on the player side, the absence of an official offer from Paris leaves the situation open for Real Madrid and Liverpool to continue monitoring developments.
With Leipzig still insisting on a sum above €100m and discussions ongoing on several fronts, Diomande’s future remains unresolved, as Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool await any shift in the Bundesliga club’s valuation or negotiating position.
