€100 Million Price Tag Rocks Man Utd and Tottenham's Transfer Plans
Oliver Mintzlaff, the executive director overseeing Red Bull's network of football teams, has cautioned potential buyers eyeing RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande that acquiring the talented player would require a hefty €100 million (£87.2 million, $117.2 million) fee for someone he anticipates will stay in Saxony for multiple seasons ahead.
Diomande represents an increasingly scarce example of what was once more typical: a total unknown quantity. Just over a year ago, the 19-year-old was competing for a private coaching academy in Daytona Beach with absolutely no senior-level playing experience.
Today, his abilities are strong enough to warrant rejecting €90 million offers.
The Ivory Coast national team player has delivered exceptional performances for RB Leipzig following his €20 million summer transfer from Leganés. "Based on his performance in those initial matches, I'd be shocked if elite clubs weren't pursuing him," Leipzig defender Willi Orban praised earlier this year. "It makes perfect sense that these organizations would pay attention."
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been mentioned as two clubs showing interest, according to The Athletic. However, it seems neither team has any realistic prospect of securing this season's most remarkable breakthrough talent.
"With such a youthful player we recently acquired, you cannot simply let him go after merely one season," Mintzlaff dismissed to Sky Sport Germany lately. "Over recent years, RB Leipzig has demonstrated that even elite talents can definitely remain longer. As supervisory board chairman, I would state that he will continue to be here next season, regardless of whether €80 million or €90 million proposals arrive."
Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schäfer supported his superior's stance. "There isn't even anyone in the passenger seat," he boasted when assessing the advancement made by any prospective buyers. "Everyone's sitting in the rear."
Bayern Munich Rule On Diomande Move
Bayern Munich Rule On Diomande Move
Bayern Munich represents another organization that has become entangled in the rumors surrounding Diomande. Sporting director Christoph Freund adhered to the standard approach of claiming Bayern would never discuss a competitor's player while simultaneously addressing that specific individual.
"Speaking broadly, he's an excellent player who has experienced tremendous growth," Freund reflected recently.
"It's typical that when a Bundesliga athlete performs well or progresses successfully, he becomes associated with FC Bayern. He belongs to Leipzig and it's not our responsibility to provide commentary on that situation. But as I mentioned, everyone recognizes he's an exceptional player."