€125m but yet to start – but Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande plan is coming together

Updated: 9 Sept 2026 07:02 BST | 3 min read

Yan Diomande, Real Madrid, 2026/27 — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Yan Diomande became Real Madrid’s most expensive signing ever when he moved from RB Leipzig in a €125 million deal in the summer. He is still yet to make his first start for the club.

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Diomande’s summer was a complicated one. Long before embarking on a World Cup journey with Ivory Coast, he had been hotly linked with a transfer. Liverpool were the frontrunners to sign him at that time, but then PSG emerged only for Real Madrid to complete a successful hijack for a club-record fee.

Jose Mourinho’s side were able to pick their way through a series of complicated legalities involving the player’s representation to get the deal over the line, but if the 19-year-old thought that this meant he would be to the forefront of his new manager’s thoughts, he was wrong.

Current ETV

Yan Diomande

F (RL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Yan Diomande

F (RL), M (L)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€38.9M - €64.8M

Diomande has played only 94 minutes across five fixtures for Los Blancos and has yet to make his first start for the side.

Prior to Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan at the Bernabeu, there had been a general belief that Mourinho would fully unleash his new weapon, yet instead he opted for Brahim Diaz, who set up Kylian Mbappe’s opening goal in a 2-1 win. Diomande, meanwhile, was handed 11 minutes at the end of the game.

Once on the field, Diomande was tidy enough, completing both his passes and having one shot, yet Brahim was arguably the most impactful player on the pitch and likely stretched his advantage over Real Madrid’s new Galactico in the eyes of Mourinho.

Where does this leave Diomande?

Mourinho’s early management of Diomande is not something alarming at this point.

The 19-year-old, after all, has enjoyed an explosive rise over the course of 18 months, during which he has moved from the DME Academy in the US to Leganes and RB Leipzig. He has gone from failing trials at modestly sized clubs to the biggest side in the world in what is effectively the blink of an eye. An adaptation process is necessary.

Even if the player himself feels at home in his new surroundings and with his new price tag, Mourinho is also sending an early message to the existing squad: everyone has to work for their place in his team and nothing will be given simply because of a label.

Furthermore, the veteran Portuguese is a master of getting the most from his players. His early use of Diomande may also be seen as a tool to motivate him to produce a higher level when he does eventually start. And he surely will.

Mourinho is ignoring the price tag and managing the player – exactly the reason he was brought to the Spanish capital in the summer after a campaign of turmoil behind the scenes.

Diomande, who is the most overpriced player of the summer according to FootballTransfers' data, was not signed by Real Madrid for what he could produce in his first month at the club. He has a seven-year contract, and it is over that duration his impact can be properly judged - not just a month. Mourinho has a plan and is sticking to it. Trust the process.