Manchester United have been linked with a January swoop for RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande as a ‘mad race’ is set to unfold in the winter transfer market.
With Manchester United set to miss out on Antoine Semenyo, as Bournemouth’s talisman is on the verge of joining Man City, it has been suggested that Ineos would seek alternatives.
Most United fans will argue that the midfield department needs the most investment in 2026, but most of the identified targets won’t be available until the summer. It’s always going to be difficult to take key players from clubs midway through the season.
RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande has emerged as a target for United, with the 19-year-old impressing in the Bundesliga.
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It remains to be seen whether United believe they should be spending more money on forwards at a time the midfield desperately needs a revamp.
The last thing United want is to get dragged into a transfer saga, which is what could happen with Diomande as more clubs expressed an interest in the promising AFCON star.
RB Leipzig prepare for Yan Diomande bidding race
A few days have passed since United were named as one of the clubs that are keen on Diomande.
Fellow reliable reporter Ben Jacobs has now provided an update on the race for Diomande’s signature, and it sounds like RB Leipzig is gearing up for a bidding race that could drag on until the summer.
Some reports suggest that Leipzig values Diomande at £87 million, but Sky Sports claim Diomande is worth £52m-£61m.
Jacobs added that United have scouted Diomande and tipped a ‘mad race’ for a player that could go for a hefty price, citing that Ineos may want to invest that money on Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson instead.
“My understanding is that there’s a little bit of conflict in terms of what the market thinks versus Leipzig’s perspective,” Jacobs told The United Stand.
“So Leipzig are really clear. They don’t want to sell and they value the player at 100 million euros and that price is only going to come down in the summer.
“So that’s one thing we have to reflect. Then when I speak to sources who are on the club side of interested suitors, they seem to feel that Diomande might be closer to 80 million euros or even a little bit shy of that depending on the structure and how gettable the add-ons are.
“And some even think it could drop to 70 million euros if you’re prepared to surrender a healthy sell-on clause as well.
“But we know from any Red Bull negotiation that the Red Bull clubs involved, whether it’s Salzburg or Leipzig, tend to get their way.
“So it wouldn’t at all surprise me if Diomande is out of everybody’s price range this January given one, he’s returning from AFCON, two, Leipzig don’t want to lose in mid-season, and three, the price can hold at about 100 million euros because there’s a lot of suitors.
“Manchester United, Liverpool have even scouted the player. Bayern really like him. Napoli have taken a look. PSG have sent scouts in recent weeks and Tottenham have made a call as well.
“So, this is going to be a mad race, but unless somebody wants to overpay, and I don’t think that’s Manchester United in January, because if they were going to overpay at 100 million euros, they may as well put that hundred million euros on an Elliot Anderson type player and see whether they can somehow get one of those elite midfielders.”
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Yan Diomande could follow Benjamin Sesko’s footsteps
United hired Christopher Vivell as a recruitment expert and his influence was felt when the Red Devils successfully signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in the summer.
With contracts at Red Bull, Vivell could easily play a hand in United’s pursuit of Diomande should they push it with formal interest this month.
United have only scouted Diomande but they will be wary of overspending in January, especially when Semenyo appealed to the club due to having a release clause.
Diomande would follow in Sesko’s footsteps if he were to join United in 2026 by leaving Leipzig for Old Trafford.
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