- Crystal Palace previously eyed Yan Diomande
- Manchester United and Liverpool could pay €100m for him
- Ivorian winger is shining at RB Leipzig
Crystal Palace reportedly had their sights set on Yan Diomande before the RB Leipzig winger became one of Europe’s most highly sought-after talents. The Eagles’ scouts often unearth gems at the very start of their careers.
Diomande is an exciting attacker who has caught the eye throughout his time at Leipzig. The Ivorian teenager is wanted by both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Palace aren’t thought to be in the race to sign Diomande, not least because he is now valued at €100m. But the 19-year-old was on the South Londoners’ radar before he arrived in the Bundesliga last July.
Eagles Eyed Diomande
A report from MailSport claims that Palace were among several British clubs “immediately keen” on signing Diomande during his spell at American club AS Frenzi. He was named STARI Player of the Year, winning an award which was contested by 5,000 players.
Diomande began receiving trial offers after this, and it seems the Eagles were among the clubs prepared to give him an opportunity. That didn’t happen; instead, he continued to impress in MLS at DME Academy before joining Spanish side Leganes.
Leipzig swooped for his signature last summer, paying his €20 million release clause to bring him to Germany. He’s since appeared 30 times at Red Bull Arena, posting 10 goals and eight assists.
Crystal Palace’s Excellent Recruitment
Palace might rue not having been able to lure Diomande to Selhurst Park during his youth days in America. But Steve Parish has still built an exciting squad, particularly successful in producing top attacking talent.
Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are perfect examples, two attacking gems who lit up the Premier League while in South London. The pair have since moved on, joining Arsenal and Bayern Munich respectively.
Eze has been a key man for the Gunners in their Premier League title race, including scoring a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur. Olise might even be up for this year’s Ballon d’Or as he’s thriving for the Bavarians in their hunt for domestic and European glory.
Back at Palace, Ismaila Sarr is the main man out wide at the moment, but his acquisition didn’t use the same blueprint. He arrived from Marseille in August 2024 for €15m (£12.6m), already having experienced English football at Watford.
The Senegalese winger was 26 at the time of his arrival, and his experience, along with his incredible talent, has wowed fans. He sits on 15 goals and two assists in 32 games across competitions this season.
