Welcome to The Daily Merengue — a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name!
Shoutout to the Mods who do a fantastic job, Valyrian Steel, Ezek XI, KungFuZizou, NeRObutBlanco, Felipejack, and Juninho.
Writer’s Prelude. And right when you think that Real Madrid CF is done, the market opens like Moses and the Red Sea….Thank you Enrique Riquelme for re-awakening Florentino Perez. Thank you Jose Mourinho for re-awakening Florentino Perez. Thank you trophyless
season for finally bringing change.
Business is BOOMING!!!!
Yan Diomande. We’re just going to dive right into the mix with this one. Business is booming. Yan Diomande an electric Ivorian winger who showcased his raw talent during the World Cup and won Rookie (and Newcomer) of the Bundesliga 25/26 season, is now officially on the Real Madrid radar. Reliable reports from Ornstein (The Athletic) and Spanish journalists like Arancha have thrown out of what seems like no where that Real Madrid have launched a 100M initial bid for Diomande’s services and although RB Leipzig has rejected the first bid and the player’s camp doesn’t yet agreed to the move – we’ve seen the alarming speed of how the Cucurella move was completed. I’ll admit, I have no personal source news on this bid but it feels like its coming together quite quickly so I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually gets done.
Juni Assessment of His Skills. The 19-yr old is a brilliant young player in my opinion. He is capable of playing on both wings (25 appearances at RW for Leipzig vs 10 at LW – played 4 games LW for Ivory Coast – 5 appearances LW for Leganes in his brief La Liga stint) so he is highly versatile (which imo is the best thing we can ask for if Kylian is to remain as our CF). Although a bit bigger and not as swift, he’s in many ways similar to Vini as a truly electric player. He naturally aims to win off the dribble but is quick to find passing opportunities for other scorers. And as of all the rage right now on football twitter – he’s a willing presser if that means anything.
Now – he’s sitll a child so he like many players will be at times a bit inconsistent. He will never be afraid to get on the ball but at times his decision making may be a bit lacking and he may attack a fullback in a situation where he likely should recycle possession. He’ll need good tactical coaching throughout his growth but I guess that’s why the Special One is here to do.
What Would This Signing Mean for Real Madrid? Well first if we are spending 100M+ on Yan Diomande, Olise likely will not be pursued until 2027 earliest. This would make a lot of sense for all parties as Michael Olise still appreciates Bayern Munich, Bayern head into a do or die CL championship season with an aging Harry Kane, and Real Madrid likely could use Olise when he’s a bit cheaper. Second, this could signal the more immediate end to player’s like Franco / Brahim / Fede / Arda/ Endrick / Rodrygo (in 2027). I doubt the club plans on spending 100M+ on Diomande to put him on the bench, so depending on what channel he occupies (i.e., right or left) we’re going to start to run into issues regarding playtime. Someone is going to have to go to the bench whether you like it or not.
And finally Vini is likely leaving and dare I say it – there’s likely a sale already being processed. I just don’t see the club spending this type of money without expecting a comparable sale in return. This would be 100M for Diomande, potentially 50M for Rodri, 25M for Dumfries, and another 50-60M for Cucurella without any major sales besides arguably Nico Paz. Someone is getting sold guys and additionally it would be weird for RocNation (agents of Diomande) to pursue this massive sale with Real Madrid without also either renewing or seeing if there is a proper exit for their arguably biggest client – Vinicius Junior. Maybe we’ll all be shocked and surprised and Vini will sign a renewal and we’ll feature a front line of Vini-Mbappe-Yan Diomande in 26/27 but I just don’t see it. The break up seems to already be in the works.
Anyway sign me up for our future FC Nonchalant (featuring Yan Diomande, Michael Olise, and Dean Huijsen).
Rodri. And not much else to say but the Rodri negotiations are underway and keep moving. This also feels like its going to be wrapped up quickly so just keep following along. TBH it’s wild how today Rodri is simply a side note lol.
Cheers,
J
