Yan Diomande cost Real Madrid 140 million euros, and while that is more than the average fan expected, everyone who followed his transfer saga closely this summer transfer window understood that this is exactly what it was going to take in order to sign the Ivorian international from RB Leipzig.
Both Liverpool and PSG were highly interested in Diomande before Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid ever took a formal interest in the player, which they only did after it became 100 percent clear that Bayern Munich would not sell Michael Olise no matter how much both Real and the French superstar himself wanted the move.
Liverpool fell out of the race for Diomande, and the 19 year old winger agreed on personal terms with PSG. But RB Leipzig and the Parisians could not come to an agreement on a final transfer fee, with PSG nickeling and diming unwisely until Real swooped in and Diomande gave his green light to the club of Cristiano Ronaldo - and the club of his childhood dreams.
Florentino Perez doesn't need to worry about Michael Olise now
While Florentino Perez remains interested in Michael Olise as his latest obsession after the Ballon d'Or candidate's insane display against Alvaro Carreras and Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals this year, Yan Diomande has been drawing such rave reviews in the preseason in Madrid that he may quickly make the former Crystal Palace star nothing more than a fleeting memory to the Merengues.
Diomande in his first season at the highest level of European football was so tremendous that he was nearly on even keel with Olise in the Bundesliga when accounting for the differences in quality between the two teams. Leipzig would have been nothing without Diomande, who led the way with 20 goal contributions as a teenager while also leading the team in terms of his dribbling in one on ones and ball progression.
Real Madrid can't sign everyone, and in Diomande, they already have a long term solution on the right wing for the next 10 years. And we all know that Vinicius Junior isn't going anywhere on the left now that he has locked down a new contract.
In the right context, maybe a swoop for Olise could make sense one day. But for 200 million euros or more? No way, especially when Diomande is several years younger, more versatile, an even better athlete, and maybe, just maybe, even better overall as a player.
Add us as a preferred source on Google