President of Barcelona FC has verified that the club has rejected a substantial offer of €200m for 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.
According to sources in Spain, Barcelona declined the offer from PSG which came close to setting a new world record. Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly in search of replacements for Kylian Mbappe, who departs from the club soon.
During the debut of his podcast on Barcelona’s club channels, Joan Laporta disclosed receiving a substantial offer for Lamine Yamal. However, he didn’t disclose the identity of the bidder.
What Laporta said:
“We get offers for players like Lamine Yamal, for €200m, and we have said no,” he said. “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.
“We have had offers for Alejandro Balde, Fermin [Lopez], very important [players like] Gavi, Pedri, [Frenkie] De Jong, [Ronald] Araujo… but we do not want to sell them. Only with these that I have told you, we would be at a figure of €1bn in income [if they were all sold].
“If someone thinks that he plays little and wants to leave [they can leave], but we are very satisfied with everyone.”
“Only players who we need will come to reinforce some positions that do not clash with La Masia’s policy, because we want to promote players who are already mature at Barca Atletic,” he added.
“The other day, for example, [Marc] Casado made his debut, who had been called up for many times without making his debut in La Liga and played against Atletico. Thus, we have many players who are dynamic, from the first team like Hector Fort, who always plays very well.
“This is the Barca model, a unique model of understanding football and playing it, we will not change it. Only proven players will arrive, but it is not always easy to get it right. We have carefully studied most of the positions regarding players from [the youth team] who will be promoted to reinforce the first team.”
Lamine Yamal represents the newest talent from Barcelona’s La Masia academy, and Laporta emphasized the importance of preserving the pathway for young players to the first team, without disruptions from transfer plans.
Source: 90min
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