Arsenal have been told summer transfer target Yan Diomande is “exceeding beyond all expectations” at Real Madrid this season.

BBC Sport claims the Gunners held an interest in signing Diomande before he joined Real from RB Leipzig for €125million (£104m).

And the 19-year-old has made a blistering start to his Los Blancos career, recording seven goal contributions in his last eight games.

Diomande has shone in the absence of the suspended Vinicius Junior, scoring against Villarreal, Sevilla, Leipzig and Racing Santander of late.

And Diario AS journalist Carlos Forjanes believes the teenage sensation is comfortably paying back his enormous transfer fee.

He writes: “He (Diomande) has been on a clear upward trajectory since the [international] break - a period during which he already signalled, while playing for Ivory Coast, that he was gearing up for takeoff.

“Since then, he has left his mark on seven goals, either by scoring them himself (four) or by providing the decisive assist (three). And he’s been playing with real flair, too: he has only five fewer successful dribbles (34 compared to 39) than (Kylian) Mbappe, despite the Frenchman having spent 512 more minutes on the pitch.

WHAT A GOAL 🔥

Yan Diomande on the volley fires Real Madrid into a 3-0 lead 🤯 https://t.co/lM63h0j5ch

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 1, 2026

“Whether Diomande is the cause or the effect of this good run for Madrid - a classic ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario - there is no denying that if the Ivorian set out to make the most of Vinicius’ lengthy league suspension, he is succeeding beyond all expectations. Check.”

Arsenal pursued several forwards in the summer

Ivory Coast international Diomande was one of a number of forwards Arsenal considered signing in the summer transfer window.

The Premier League champions also pursued ambitious deals for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, Real’s Vinicius and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz.

Despite missing out on signing a big-name forward, Arsenal have made a strong start to the season, winning 12 of their 15 games in all competitions.

BIG PERFORMANCE. BIG WIN. https://t.co/BDgF853Q3D

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 1, 2026

Mikel Arteta’s men - who won at Liverpool for the first time since 2012 on Sunday - return to action against Slavia Praha in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Diomande meanwhile will be hoping to score again when Real travel to AEK Athens in Europe’s premier club competition on the same day.