140 million for a 19-year-old winger
Yan Diomande joined Real Madrid this summer for 140 M€, bonuses included. That makes him the most expensive signing in the club’s history. The Ivory Coast international winger is 19 and has just one full Bundesliga season behind him: 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 matches for RB Leipzig.
Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain were also circling. Both clubs baulked at Leipzig’s demands. Madrid stepped in and blew everyone else out of the water.
Except this was never part of the original plan. Jose Mourinho, who has taken charge at the Bernabeu, had first targeted the defence and midfield: Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva.
Try it for $0.99.
The Special One is happy to say he asked for nothing
Speaking to El Chiringuito in the second part of the interview, the Portuguese coach laid out his version of Madrid’s transfer business. “No, I didn’t ask anyone for anything. I arrived asking no one for anything, while properly assessing the squad and knowing exactly what I would like to see happen.”
He is also standing by the low-glamour feel of his first arrivals. “Look at the first players we signed: Dumfries and Konate. With all due respect to those two top players, they don’t have the profile that gets people dreaming and lights up social media, but we needed them.”
On Diomande’s price tag, the Portuguese manager passes the buck to the board. “I don’t want to analyse whether it’s 120, 80, 40 or 20 million euros. I analyse the player’s profile, what he can bring to my team, and in that sense, I said: Yes, I want him.”
Perez signs the biggest cheque of his presidency
It was Florentino Perez who gave it the green light. The Madrid chairman has broken his own spending record, having built his squads on blockbuster transfers since arriving in 2000 and launching the original Galacticos era. The difference here is the profile: this time, the cheque is for a 19-year-old who still has not played a full season at the very top level in Europe.
It is a gamble. A quick, aggressive winger who can play on either flank, the sort of player Mourinho himself says is hard to find in the market. The only question now is what the Portuguese will do with a player he never asked for.
Discover the latest FOOTBALL news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply