For a long time, Real Madrid did not seem to be a credible candidate in the Yan Diomandé case. And yet the Madrid club, after several days of waiting, has finally formalized the arrival of the most expensive recruit in its history. But it was not specifically planned at the start of the summer and the Spanish club, in fact, took advantage of a succession of opportunities. According to The Athleticinitially, the Merengues were not specifically looking for a winger and were instead considering the return of Nico Paz thanks to his buyout clause after his excellent season at Como. Meanwhile, Liverpool were emerging as the most likely destination for the young Leipzig striker. Seduced by the idea of succeeding Mohamed Salah, the Ivorian had exchanged with Andoni Iraola, while Leipzig, where he was under contract until 2030 without a release clause, tried to extend him in order to increase his value further.
His representatives had also met with Manchester City and Atlético de Madrid, who ultimately felt that his profile did not match their needs. PSG then invited itself into the battle. Thanks to the excellent relations between Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff, the Parisians quickly took a head start according to the British media. Luis Campos and Luis Enrique also increased their discussions with the player to convince him that Paris was the best project to continue his progress and aim for the Ballon d’Or. Diomandé’s entourage was even convinced that he could become one of the best players in the world under the Parisian colors and Diomandé therefore wanted to join PSG. But faced with the financial demands of Leipzig, who demanded a record sum, and those of the player’s representatives, Paris finally decided to withdraw from the case on July 26, while learning at the same time that Real Madrid was in the process of completely reversing the situation.
Mourinho and mastery of the French language
Behind the scenes, the Madrid club had been preparing its offensive for several weeks. The Athletic reveals that with the return of José Mourinho, planning meetings with management had highlighted a weakness in the squad: a lack of depth and threat on the right side. Real felt that their game leaned too much towards the left, where Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé play, thus facilitating the defensive work of the opponents. It is precisely this argument that was presented to Diomandé, to whom Real explained that it would become an essential piece of the new project. The Madrid leaders, who thought of Michael Olise, also worked with great discretion so as not to draw attention to their real priority.
And the final argument came from José Mourinho. According to a member of the player’s agency Roc Nation, interviewed by The Athleticthe Portuguese coach personally called Yan Diomandé many times… in French. “He spoke French to her fluently. The time he called Yan (late at night) and the fact that he spoke in his language about his ideas, the project and how Yan would fit into the team showed the importance he placed on this conversation. It was the key to convincing him,” explains those around him. Real Madrid also scored points by offering the player a club jersey and presenting him with a truly personalized career plan, illustrated in particular by the development of Vinicius Jr at the Bernabéu. An approach which definitely convinced the Ivorian to choose the White House. It now remains to respond on the ground.
