March 23, (THEWILL)- Barcelona President Joan Laporta has confirmed the Spanish giants turned down a staggering €200 million offer for 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal.
In a recent podcast appearance, Laporta revealed an unnamed club tabled the near world-record bid for the La Masia Academy product but Barcelona refused to sell.
The sky-high offer is believed to have come from Paris Saint-Germain, who are scouring the market for potential replacements as Kylian Mbappe nears the exit door.
However, Laporta stressed Barcelona’s unwavering desire to retain their top young talents like Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, and many others, despite receiving offers that could net the club over €1 billion in total.
“We get offers for players like Lamine Yamal, for €200m, and we have said no,” Laporta stated. “Because we trust the boy in his sporting projection, and we do not have the need [to sell], on the contrary. We are in a process of economic recovery and already seeing the end of the tunnel.”
Laporta doubled down on Barcelona’s commitment to their famed La Masia Academy, insisting the club will only sign proven talent that does not block emerging youngsters’ pathway to the first team. He cited recent debutants like Marc Casado as examples of Barcelona’s youth integration policy.
“This is the Barca model, a unique model of understanding football and playing it, we will not change it,” Laporta affirmed, adding: “Only proven players will arrive, but it is not always easy to get it right.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
