Employing the stochastic mean-field (SMF) approach, we develop a quantal diffusion description of the multi-nucleon transfer in heavy-ion collisions at finite impact parameters. The quantal transport coefficients are determined by the occupied single-particle wave functions of the time-dependent Hartree-Fock equations. As a result, the primary fragment mass and charge distribution functions are determined entirely in terms of the mean-field properties. This powerful description does not involve any adjustable parameter, includes the effects of shell structure and is consistent with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of the non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. As a first application of the approach, we analyze the fragment mass distribution in $^{48}mathrm{Ca}+{}^{238}mathrm{U}$ collisions at the bombarding energy $E_{text{c.m.}}=193$ MeV and compare the calculations with the experimental data.