Yan Diomande has intimated he was always intent on moving to Real Madrid - even if he had turned up at Liverpool this summer.
The Reds were willing to pay £86million to RB Leipzig for the Ivory Coast international having earmarked the 19-year-old as a replacement for Mohamed Salah.
Leipzig, though, valued the player beyond £100m, and Liverpool stepped away once it became clear Diomande preferred a move to European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
But when it emerged PSG would also not pay the asking price, Real Madrid swooped for the youngster earlier this month in a deal worth up to £120m.
Dream Move to Bernabeu
And now it has been claimed Diomande in any case was only dreaming of moving to the Bernabeu eventually.
Michael Yormark, the co-founder of Diomande's agency Roc Nation Sports International, said: "Nathan (Campbell, Diomande's agent) sat down with Yan, and they spoke about his dreams and aspirations.
"Yan said 'I want to be the best player in the world, I want to win a Ballon d’Or, and I want to win trophies. My biggest (dream) was always to play for Real Madrid'.
"We had to put together the right blueprint to achieve his dream. We put together a team around the young player. This move is a big moment for all of us as well. We took a young man with ambition and made it a reality."
Historic Transfer
Campbell, also Roc Nation Sports International’s Head of Global Football Recruitment, said to SportsBoom.co.za: "This monumental move to Real Madrid is a testament to Yan’s incredible work ethic, and we couldn’t be prouder to play a part in facilitating the largest transfer for an African player in football history.
"We thank all parties who helped seal this historic deal, and we cannot wait for the exciting journey ahead at the Bernabeu."
Liverpool's Next Steps
Having missed out on Diomande, Liverpool are continuing to seek reinforcements in the attack and have had talks with Paris Saint-Germain over France winger Bradley Barcola.
