Paris Saint-Germain made a €250 million offer for Lamine Yamal when the Barcelona forward was 17, but the Spanish club turned it down, according to L’Equipe.
The proposal has resurfaced with Barcelona preparing to face Paris in the Champions League. Club president Joan Laporta has spoken repeatedly in recent years about PSG’s interest in Yamal and remains confident the teenager will stay at Camp Nou, although there are still concerns within Barcelona about the possibility of a future move.
Laporta told L’Equipe on Monday: “We are confident in our strength. Barcelona has always been able to offer players competitive salaries. The key is to make players feel comfortable at the club. It would be difficult to leave Barcelona, and we are doing very well here. This is a well-organized, clearly structured, and well-managed multi-sport club, and our players are grateful. Of course, we are not perfect, but there is always room for improvement, and we are working hard to succeed.”
Barcelona are in a strong position under the terms of Yamal’s current contract. It runs until 2031 and contains a €1 billion release clause, making a direct approach of the kind PSG used to sign Neymar in 2017 difficult to repeat.
Paris are also unlikely to wait until the agreement expires in order to pursue Yamal on a free transfer. Barcelona’s previous situations involving Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Torres are not directly comparable. In those cases, the club faced greater pressure when players had only one year remaining on their contracts and risked leaving for nothing. Barcelona should therefore retain considerable negotiating power over Yamal in the coming years.
Yamal’s relationship with the club could also prove significant. He came through the La Masia academy, grew up in Barcelona and now represents the team he supports alongside players he knows well. Neymar, Dembele and Ferran Torres did not share that same connection.
Lionel Messi’s departure for Paris offers a different point of reference. Messi was already in the latter part of his career when he left Barcelona, while the club’s inability to register his new contract played an important role in that transfer.
Barcelona’s main vulnerability could be the difference between the clubs’ financial and sporting resources. The Catalan club’s finances have improved, and the renovated Camp Nou is expected to create further revenue, but PSG can still offer wages that Barcelona may find difficult to match.
Even if Barcelona regard Yamal as one of their most important players, PSG could try to tempt him with a lucrative contract and the prospect of competing for major honours, potentially hoping he would ask to leave.
There is also concern among some Barcelona supporters about the influence of people close to Yamal, including the possible role of his father in future decisions. PSG’s Champions League ambitions and Yamal’s desire to challenge for the Ballon d’Or could provide further reasons for him to consider the move. Barcelona last won the Champions League in 2015, while PSG have continued to pursue European football’s biggest prize.
Although PSG have moved away from simply collecting superstars, signing Yamal would still strengthen the squad while increasing the club’s media profile and commercial value.
