Manchester United transfer targets Yan Diomande and Elliot Anderson are dominating the Bundesliga and the Premier League with one shared strength.
The search for a new midfielder in 2026 has seen Manchester United make Elliot Anderson the top target ahead of the summer.
Anderson’s masterclass performance vs Liverpool will only strengthen United’s interest. But Ineos will also be in the market for a left-sided winger and United are showing interest in Yan Diomande.
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The 19-year-old winger has been drawing attention at RB Leipzig and Amad Diallo could help United land Diomande after growing close with his Ivory Coast teammate over AFCON.
United view Diomande as a “generational” talent and his statistics over in the Bundesliga back up that assessment.
RB Leipizig winger Yan Diomande in Bundesliga action.
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Yan Diomande is dominating duels in the Bundesliga
Diomande is a talented chance-creator at Leipzig, with eight goals and six assists in 22 league appearances in 2025/26.
But interestingly, he is equally – if not more impressive – out of possession. As per Bundesliga statistics, no player in Germany’s top flight has won more duels than Yan Diomande’s 279 this season.
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Despite playing out wide for Leipzig, Diomande is completely dominating the duel-winning charts, a whole 28 successful duels ahead of Kaishu Sano in second place.
He also ranks as the second-fastest player in the Bundesliga having hit a top speed of 36.3km/h.
Elliot Anderson and Yan Diomande are duel-winning dominators
With the current state of the Premier League, being able to handle the physical demands of the division is one of the top priorities for any newcomers.
Diomande’s duel-winning prowess and physical attributes prove he is ready to make the step up to Premier League football.
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Elliot Anderson duels
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United’s top midfield target, Elliot Anderson, also thrives when it comes to winning duels. In fact, he tops the Premier League charts for 2025/26 with an astonishing 223 duels won.
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In second place is Everton’s James Tarkowski, who has won just 177. Patrick Dorgu tops United’s duels charts with 140 won this season.
Ineos clearly are targeting players who are ready to elevate the physicality of this current squad and there are hardly two better players in Europe for doing that than Anderson and Diomande.
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