Real Madrid’s Diomande push forces Barcelona into race against clock for Asllani

Real Madrid’s advanced talks to sign Ivory Coast forward Yansane Diomande from RB Leipzig have placed Barcelona’s pursuit of Hoffenheim striker Veton Berisha Asllani in serious jeopardy, with the Bundesliga club poised to move for the Kosovo international as a direct replacement.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Leipzig are determined to bring in Asllani, 23, if Diomande completes his proposed switch to the Spanish capital. That contingency plan has turned a routine piece of forward planning in Germany into a high‐stakes transfer battle between La Liga’s two giants, with Barcelona in danger of losing the player they have identified as the ideal successor to Ferran Torres.

Leipzig ready to trigger release clause

Real Madrid are working to finalise the Diomande deal in the coming days, the report says, and that timeline is key. Once an agreement is reached with the European champions, Leipzig are expected to move immediately to activate the €29m release clause in Asllani’s contract with Hoffenheim.

Such a move would effectively shut the door on Barcelona. As soon as Leipzig trigger the clause, Hoffenheim would be powerless to block the transfer and the Catalan club’s room for manoeuvre would vanish.

Barcelona’s plan has been to monitor the situation while they sort out the future of Ferran Torres, who has entered the final year of his contract. But the growing urgency around Diomande’s potential arrival at the Bernabeu is compressing that timetable and forcing Barcelona into decisions they had hoped to delay.

Torres uncertainty complicates Asllani chase

Barcelona’s hierarchy face a complex puzzle. Before committing financially to Asllani, they had wanted clarity on Ferran Torres, whose position remains uncertain despite his standout performance in the 2026 World Cup final.

Torres has so far hesitated to sign an extension to a deal that expires in 12 months, and there is strong interest in the Spain international from Paris Saint‐Germain and Atletico Madrid. Barcelona had intended to resolve that situation – either by agreeing fresh terms or sanctioning a sale – before moving decisively for Asllani.

Internally, though, the Kosovo attacker is viewed as the “perfect” profile to step in for Torres if he departs, which is why the quickening pace of Madrid’s talks for Diomande is being seen at Camp Nou as a direct threat to their forward planning.

Asllani waits on Camp Nou before deciding

AS reports that Asllani has already given a provisional green light to the idea of joining Leipzig this summer. The striker scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 35 matches for Hoffenheim last season, and the German club see him as an immediate, like‐for‐like replacement for Diomande.

However, Asllani is said to be holding back from a final commitment in the hope that Barcelona submit a formal offer. His stance is interpreted as a clear signal that, if all options were on the table, he would prefer a move to Camp Nou ahead of Leipzig.

For now, that preference exists only in theory. Without an official bid from Barcelona, Leipzig remain in pole position, and the power balance could shift decisively the moment Real Madrid close the Diomande deal.

Leipzig pressure tightens Barcelona’s window

The situation is further complicated by Leipzig’s internal strategy. The Bundesliga side do not want to allow Diomande to leave for Madrid without first securing his replacement, and are therefore pressing Asllani to make up his mind quickly.

That stance is shrinking Barcelona’s window of opportunity with each passing hour. Unless the Catalan club can both resolve Ferran Torres’s future and table a concrete proposal for Asllani in the very short term, they risk seeing Leipzig tie up the forward as soon as Real Madrid complete their move for Diomande.

The equation leaves Barcelona’s board facing two unappealing options: accelerate difficult decisions on Torres and launch an immediate bid for Asllani, or hold their current line and risk losing the forward they regard as their primary attacking target – all as a direct consequence of Real Madrid’s push to bring Diomande to the Bernabeu.