Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior and Yan Diomande are among more than 100 players at an agency owned by the hip-hop legend<\/p>\n
In the end there was a clear winner. And Jay-Z\u2019s latest victory came only 24 hours after the first record featuring him actually rapping for four years had been released by his wife, Beyonc\u00e9, on an extended remix pack of Morning Dew (Donk).<\/p>\n
These days, the man who remains one of the most influential artists in hip-hop has his fingers in many pies, from the streaming service Tidal and his own streetwear brand, to champagne and cognac. But it is Roc Nation Sports \u2013 an offshoot of his entertainment company of the same name founded in 2008 \u2013 making headlines in the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n
Established five years later in partnership with Creative Artists Agency, it began mainly representing players from the NBA, NFL and MLB, including Kevin Durant. Bayern Munich\u2019s J\u00e9r\u00f4me Boateng was the first football client, in 2015, before Roc Nation Sports International (RNSI) was established four years later with a focus on stars at big European clubs.<\/p>\n
Based in London, it now has more than 100 players on its books, including Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior \u2013 the Brazil forward who signed a lucrative new contract with Real Madrid this week believed to be worth around \u20ac25m. That came after Arsenal had been linked with a blockbuster move for the 26-year-old.
\n In July 2023 RNSI took over the successful Brazilian agents TFM \u2013 who already represented Vin\u00edcius, Gabriel Martinelli, and Endrick \u2013 and renamed it Roc Nation Sports Brazil.<\/p>\n
In negotiations that have lasted two years, it had hoped to persuade Real to increase their star asset\u2019s salary to \u20ac30m a year to match Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, and allowed his contract to enter its final 12 months in an effort to drum up interest elsewhere. While Arsenal \u2013 now exploring other attacking options including Everton\u2019s Iliman Ndiaye \u2013 are believed to have been willing to pay a big fee for Vin\u00edcius, it is understood that they thought signing him on a free transfer next season was more likely.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Real upped their offer and Vin\u00edcius stayed. It is a decision that looks likely to cost them the chance to sign Rodri from Manchester City after Barcelona stole a march on their great rivals.<\/p>\n
On the same day as the new six-year contract for Vin\u00edcius was announced, Yan Diomande flew to the Spanish capital to complete his record \u00a3115m transfer from RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old \u2013 who has made only 46 appearances at senior level for the German club and for Legan\u00e9s in the Spanish second division but is already the most expensive African player in history \u2013 was pictured with his agents, Nathan Campbell and Kareem Gbaja on a private jet. RNSI has been reported to have been paid up to \u00a317m in commission and fees.<\/p>\n
A long-running saga that began when Liverpool had a \u00a370m bid rejected by Leipzig in June ended with Diomande signing a seven-year deal at the Bernab\u00e9u on Thursday. It has provided a telling insight into the mechanisms of a modern transfer, with every week bringing a fresh twist. Having been told they must pay in excess of \u00a3100m to sign Diomande, Paris Saint-Germain withdrew from the race at the end of July after releasing a statement that said the European champions \u201cwill not engage in the inflationary and manipulative games of certain player agents\u201d.<\/p>\n
RNSI has also had to fend off two legal challenges, including one from the former Bournemouth winger Max Gradel who claims that his agency, Maxidel Management, had an existing agreement with Diomande. Gradel has filed a complaint with Fifa, although world football\u2019s governing body did not block the player\u2019s move to Real. Dez Bamba \u2013 who is president of Diomande\u2019s first club, AFI Sud Como\u00e9 in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire \u2013 has said that the winger was persuaded to join RNSI after receiving a call from Vin\u00edcius. RNSI has not commented on the case.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Rainbow World Group instigated proceedings at the high court in London and the British Virgin Islands against Diomande in mid-June \u201cto enforce binding image rights and intellectual property agreements tied to his early career development\u201d. It is claimed Rainbow invested significant resources in the winger, including taking him for trials at Chelsea, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Newcastle before he was signed by Legan\u00e9s. RNSI has not commented on the case.
\n Given Diomande\u2019s meteoric rise, perhaps it is no surprise that clubs are flocking to invest in African academies.<\/p>\n
Jeff Luhnow \u2013 the former general manager of the Astros and St Louis Cardinals who won three World Series baseball titles and owns Legan\u00e9s as part of his Blue Crow network of clubs \u2013 told the Guardian last year Diomande was expected to be the first of many after they set up recruitment and development programmes in several African countries, including Ghana and Zambia, in the past several years. \u201cWe\u2019ve got more players like that in our pipeline,\u201d said Luhnow.<\/p>\n
RNSI announced in November that it has signed eight young African stars, including the Ghana Under-17 midfielder Joseph Narbi and Francis Gomez, a Gambian winger currently at AC Horsens in Denmark. \u201cWe believe Africa is a hotbed of untapped footballing potential, and our expansion here is a natural progression of our global vision,\u201d said Campbell.<\/p>\n
In the dog-eat-dog world of football agents Jay Z\u2019s new kids on the block are certainly making their presence felt.<\/p>\n