Real Madrid didn't just sign Ivorian Yan Diomande from Leipzig. They closed a huge deal that lays bare the scale of the bet the club is placing on the young defender within its new project under Jose Mourinho, with the total cost, wages included, reaching around 230 million euros.
According to "Mundo Deportivo", Real Madrid paid 130 million euros to land Diomande. That figure breaks down into 105 million as a fixed fee and a further 25 million in performance-related bonuses, making the Ivorian the most expensive deal in the royal club's history.
The transfer value was only the start. Diomande put pen to paper on a seven-year contract running until 30 June 2033, worth around 7 million euros net per season, nearly 14 million annually before tax.
All told, the player will pocket around 98 million euros over the life of his deal, with nearly 49 million of that going to taxes. That takes the full value of the operation up to around 230 million euros.
These are the numbers of a club that believes. Real Madrid see the Ivorian as an essential piece of their future, central to the project Mourinho is building inside the Santiago Bernabeu.
His salary also lifts Diomande into Real Madrid's top earners, behind Kylian Mbappe. Vinicius Junior slots in next after his recent renewal.
The deal reveals the scale of the gamble, and it drops Diomande into a huge test from day one. The club didn't just pay 130 million euros to sign him. They tied themselves to a long-term contract and a total cost nudging a quarter of a billion euros, and that puts every appearance he makes in a Real Madrid shirt under the microscope.