Yan Diomande: Red Bull's best prospect since Erling Haaland being developed by Jurgen Klopp ahead of Liverpool & Man City transfer battle

Diomande's upbringing was far from conventional. He was born in the Ivorian city of Abidjan on November 14, 2006, but moved to the United States during his adolescence. After playing high-school soccer for Yulee Hornets in Florida, Diomande joined the DME Academy down the road in Daytona Beach when he was 14, quickly becoming a hit as he alternated time between the main side and their affiliate team, AS Frenzi.

After helping DME Academy to an unbeaten season and winning the United Premier Soccer League Premier Division with AS Frenzi for the first time in the programme's history, Diomande was named the 2023 STARI Player of the Year.

"This recognition comes as no surprise to those who have witnessed Diomande's remarkable journey through the beautiful game," DME Academy's statement honouring the winger read. "His performance on the pitch was nothing short of sensational, with crucial goals that propelled his team to victory. It is not just his skills, but his leadership and determination that make him an invaluable asset to any team he represents."

Diomande's exploits in the U.S. caught the attention of Scottish side Rangers, who took him on trial towards the end of 2023 before deciding against a more permanent arrangement. However, one year later, Diomande put pen to paper on a contract running to 2028 with Leganes, who at that point were playing in La Liga and were focused on an international recruitment drive of undervalued talent.

Following the completion of lengthy administrative processes, Diomande was only cleared to play for Leganes' senior side towards the end of March 2025. However, he was immediately thrown in at the deep end, making his debut off the bench in a 3-2 defeat away at Real Madrid.

From there, Diomande featured in Leganes' nine remaining league games before the end of the season and became the club's youngest scorer in La Liga when he netted in a 3-2 victory over Espanyol. Starting on the left, Diomande skipped past his man infield before slotting under the goalkeeper to create history. After celebrating, Diomande burst into tears, but only recently revealed why that was in an interview with Sport BILD.

"My little sister died shortly before I signed my contract in Spain," Diomande heartbreakingly revealed. "I promised my mother I would dedicate my next goal to her. I don't usually like to show my emotions, but after scoring, it just poured out. My sister is still on my mind. I play for her."

Diomande also grabbed a goal and assist in a final day win versus Real Valladolid, but that was not enough for Leganes to stave off relegation to the Spanish second tier, and the club ultimately decided to cash in on him when Leipzig came forward with a €20 million (£17.6m/$23.4m) offer over the summer, with that sum representing complete profit having not paid a penny to acquire him from DME Academy.

He was courted by Jurgen Klopp, now Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, but actually missed the first call the former Liverpool boss made to him. "I couldn't believe it at first!" Diomande has admitted. "I've admired Klopp since his time in Liverpool. He's a great person, and suddenly on my first day here, he tried to call me. I hope he wasn't upset that I missed answering at first! But luckily, it worked out after that. He said I was still young and should be patient. My time will come."

The rapid rise of Diomande has been incredible. He only ever started six times for Leganes, yet months later he is one of the first names on the teamsheet for RB Leipzig. This is a player who had never played professional football until March 2025, remember.

It took only one game for Diomande to let Germany know who he was as he netted on his Leipzig debut, scoring their first of the evening in a 4-2 win at Sandhausen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. It was harder to come by a Bundesliga goal at first, going his first seven appearances without a contribution, but since breaking that duck, Diomande has only gone from strength to strength.

One goal and two assists during Leipzig's 6-0 mauling of Augsburg at the end of October opened the floodgates for the teenager. Another goal and assist followed against Stuttgart the following week, making him one of the five youngest players to ever score in successive Bundesliga games. He also found the net against Hoffenheim days after.

The most notable milestone that Diomande has hit so far came when he scored a hat-trick as Leipzig again recorded a 6-0 win, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt, becoming the second-youngest player in Bundesliga history to achieve such a feat, ironically ranking only behind ex-Eintracht star Walter Bechtold all the way back in 1965.

"It's a source of pride. Even though I am right-footed, I scored with my left. That shows that I am progressing and that I must not stop. I must keep working, keep improving, and score even more goals," a humble Diomande told the Bundesliga website of his treble.

Meanwhile, at international level, Diomande has gone from an almost complete unknown in his native Cote d'Ivoire to a national hero in no time, scoring in their final two World Cup qualifiers to punch their ticket to the 2026 finals in North America.

"Hearing it like that is just crazy," he's said of his exploits with the national team. "But on the other hand, it's honestly no coincidence. It's all the result of the team's hard work. I'm extremely happy and very proud. Playing for the national team was my biggest dream. Now I'm one of the players in my country who's made it. Like my role model, Yaya Toure. That feels good."

Naturally, Diomande's standing as a winger ought to make him a fine dribbler, but he is already a standout in that regard. He leads the Bundesliga with 42 dribbles completed this season, while only Lamine Yamal (66), Mohammed Kudus (47) and Kylian Mbappe (45) are ahead of him across Europe's top five leagues.

"I played in the streets. I still play when I go home - sometimes with friends. I like to say: I left the streets, but the streets did not leave me. It is still part of me," Diomande has said of his own style.

Such is Diomande's blend of eras, combining an old-school desire to go outside his man and get chalk on his boots with the modern obsession of cutting inside to score goals, he is incredibly adept at playing on either flank, more often than not starting on his natural right side.

Through 16 games for Leipzig, Diomande has chipped in with seven goals and four assists. It's already conceivable that he could complete his first season as a professional footballer with double figures for both. He's not only easy on the eye, but remarkably effective and efficient.

Leipzig head coach Ole Werner has been hugely impressed with his new signing this season, saying of Diomande: "He often gets past his opponents without any tricks, simply because he's so dynamic. But what's even more important to me is that he works for the team and is very good at counter-pressing. It's a matter of attitude, and he demonstrates that."

The small sample size of his 2025 has made Diomande a darling of the stats community, too. Per FBRef, he already ranks in the top 98th percentile among wingers for non-penalty goals (0.5 per 90 minutes played), top 92nd percentile for shot-creating actions (5.21 per 90), top 97th percentile for progressive carries (6.22 per 90), top 99th percentile for successful take-ons (4.08 per 90) and top 94th percentile for touches taken in the opposing penalty area (6.91 per 90).

On top of that, he also ranks in the top 88th percentiles for tackles (1.7 per 90) and blocks (1.26 per 90), as well as top 97th percentile for interceptions (0.94 per 90). In layman's terms, Diomande is statistically exceptional at both ends of the pitch. There are plenty of reasons as to why he's been touted as the best product of the Red Bull system since a certain Erling Haaland.

Though Diomande's assist numbers are currently healthy, the major criticism of his game at the moment is that his passing isn't penetrative enough and he could be doing more to find team-mates inside the penalty area - this plot of his chances created from Opta Analyst best showcases this lack of verticality - while his crossing could also do with some work given how strong he is on both feet.

Even despite his nose for goals, Diomande has admitted that is still an area of weakness by his standards. "My style is explosive, fast, and physically strong. Quick, agile, and also a finisher. I know I am not yet a perfect finisher, but I am only 19. With time, it will come - and I will become a killer in front of goal," he said lately.

There was also uproar at Leipzig when Diomande was dropped for their crunch match against Borussia Dortmund in October for arriving late to a team meeting at the hotel, and it's an incident which still rankles the youngster to this day. "I'm still annoyed that this happened to me. I immediately apologised to the coach and the team for the mistake. Every player receives a schedule and has to make sure they are on time," he said.

Diomande is the latest in a line of wingers who simply want to get on the ball and their first instinct is to beat their man. Comparisons have been made between Diomande and a younger version of Jeremy Doku before his sudden improvement with Manchester City this season, while Rodrygo has similar underlying stats at Real Madrid. But perhaps the most exciting player in Diomande's mould is Nico Williams.

Both wingers are strong on both feet, can go both ways on either flank and can either slow the game down or speed it up depending on how they decide to take their opponent on. They are the protagonists controlling the outcome of attacks when they have possession. Most excitingly, Diomande already appears to be much more of a goal threat than any of these more senior players mentioned. Williams and Doku's highest-scoring league seasons are six, while Rodrygo has only once hit double figures.

Prior to playing for Leipzig, Diomande was put in a similar bracket to another Red Bull prodigy in Karim Adeyemi, who is now a Bundesliga rival at Dortmund, with both exceptionally quick and capable of using that pace to get in behind as direct threats.

A move away from Leipzig is almost inevitable, with the Saxony side reportedly slapping a €100m (£88m/$117m) price tag on the winger. Liverpool, who may be hoping for a helping hand from Klopp, are among the clubs linked with Diomande, as well as Barcelona, Manchester City, Tottenham and Real Madrid.

In the meantime, Diomande has joined up with the Cote d'Ivoire squad in Morocco for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where he will be hoping to complete a remarkable first year in professional football by becoming a champion of his continent. He is, however, continuing to remain grounded despite this ascent to stardom.

"It feels normal to me, because I am surrounded by people who guide me," Diomande has insisted. "This is what we planned for, so I'm not surprised. We knew this would come and we were waiting for it. Thank God things are going well, and we are grateful.

“I don't pay attention to rumours. I focus on my work on the pitch. If you perform, rumours will always appear. I stay concentrated, and I have good support from my father and the club staff. So I focus only on football.

"[Playing for Cote d'Ivoire] is a dream. We grew up watching our national team - they made us cry, they made us dream. Now we are the ones inspiring children, and it's incredible. I'm proud to represent my country. Our ambition is to go as far as possible and defend the [AFCON] title. We want to win again and keep the trophy. 

"We [also] want to go as far as possible [at the World Cup]. Ivory Coast has had difficult World Cups in the past. Now we want to push further and achieve something big."

Diomande is living proof of how football can change quickly, and he has some advice for fellow young players who are looking to make a splash out of nowhere: "Work hard. Never give up. Fight and push yourself, because hard work is what can take you to the stars. You must not give up - fight until the last breath. That is the message."