Yan Diomande has become the most expensive African footballer in history after completing his move from RB Leipzig to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid officially announced the signing on Thursday afternoon, with the Ivorian putting pen to a seven-year deal running until June 30, 2033.
Leipzig will receive an initial fee of 125 million euros, with the total potentially rising to 140 million euros through bonus payments, a figure that matches the Bundesliga transfer record previously set by Florian Wirtz’s move to Liverpool last summer.
The deal makes Diomande Leipzig’s record sale, while also making him Real Madrid’s most expensive signing and the highest-priced African footballer in history.
The 19-year-old winger’s contract runs through 2030 and contains no release clause, which enabled Leipzig to command the historic fee.
The teenager’s stock soared after his starring role for the Ivory Coast at the 2026 FIFA World Cup brought his value into the stratosphere and energized the biggest European clubs to make a move, with Paris Saint-Germain having been strongly linked with him before Madrid entered the race.
In his debut season with Leipzig, Diomande recorded 13 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances, numbers that convinced Real Madrid to gamble big on the unproven talent.
He arrives at the Bernabeu as the latest of several signings under new manager Jose Mourinho this summer, following Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Carlos Espi, as Madrid look to end a two-year trophy drought.
If the add-ons are achieved, the deal would represent a record transfer for Madrid, surpassing the signings of Jude Bellingham and Eden Hazard.
