RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande has long been linked with a move away from the German club. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded, speculation surrounding the Ivory Coast star intensified, with clubs such as Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain all being linked to him. However, it appears that the Spanish giants have taken the lead in the race for the highly sought-after star. Contrasting reports from transfer experts Florian Plettenberg, Fabrizio Romano, and David Ornstein have triggered a war of words on social media.
Although Diomande has been heavily linked with a big-money move away from Leipzig this summer, the club has officially maintained that it plans to keep the Ivorian for the upcoming season. It was initially reported that Real Madrid had made a bid in the region of 90 million to 100 million euros fixed plus add-ons, which Leipzig rejected as too low. While negotiations remained ongoing, no full club-to-club agreement had been finalised by Sunday, July 26.
Confusion ensued when Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano posted his trademark “HERE WE GO!”, claiming an agreement had been closed with Leipzig for a fee exceeding 100 million euros. Romano stated that Diomande would fly to Madrid later that week to undergo a medical and sign a contract valid until 2031.
BREAKING: YAN DIOMANDE TO REAL MADRID, HERE WE GO!
Agreement closed tonight with RB Leipzig for fee over €100m for the Ivorian winger.
Diomande will fly to Madrid this week for medical tests and contract signing until June 2031.
DONE. 🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/WNtgJysivC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 26, 2026
However, Florian Plettenberg quickly pushed back against this report, stating that no full agreement existed-a stance he claimed was confirmed by Leipzig, Real Madrid, and the player’s camp. Plettenberg noted that the exact fee was not settled, talks between the clubs would continue the following day, and Diomande was returning to Leipzig. He went on to call Romano’s reporting “a bit ridiculous.”
In response, Romano defended his position, maintaining that Diomande would join Real Madrid. He accused rival reporters of spreading “fake news” regarding claims that Manchester City had been prepared to bid 100 million euros the previous day, asserting that City had pulled out of the race days earlier.
The dispute escalated when Plettenberg stated that the “fake news” accusation crossed a line, clarifying that he had never reported a Manchester City bid in those terms. He went on to criticise Romano’s previous “Here We Go” post regarding Jurgen Klopp’s move to the German national team, arguing it was posted prematurely after the DFB had already indicated the move, relying more on probability than locked agreements. Plettenberg also accused Romano of deleting premature or incorrect posts in the past.
Okay, wow. By accusing us of “fake news” with „Man City bidding“ (never reported) you’ve unfortunately crossed a line.
I never wanted to bring this up, but your Klopp report was simply ridiculous and disrespectful to every journalist who actually does proper reporting. One day… pic.twitter.com/pf9D9W0NYQ
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 26, 2026
Romano subsequently published another post on X, accusing Plettenberg of initiating the public confrontation. He revealed that Plettenberg had messaged him years earlier asking how to grow his social media following and citing Romano’s work as his main motivation, adding that Plettenberg was now attempting to “teach” him how to do his job.
you start accusing, I cross the line. Now at least I see you’ve learned how to tag very good. Maybe I should share messages from few years ago where you asked me “how can I increase followers” or “your job is my motivation”… you who are now teaching how to do this job on…
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 26, 2026
Meanwhile, David Ornstein provided his own insight into the situation. He reported that Real Madrid’s initial bid was rejected roughly 10 days prior, while a secondary proposal-worth around 100 million euros fixed with an overall package reaching 120 million euros-was also expected to be turned down. Nevertheless, Ornstein noted that an agreement between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig is still expected to be reached in the coming days.
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