Lamine Yamal speaks out about potential Barcelona exit
- Yamal a superstar of world football but not even 18 years old
- PSG previously linked with world record offer exceeding €250m
- Barcelona looking to tie Yamal down to bumper new long-term contract
Lamine Yamal says it's "impossible" to entertain the idea of leaving Barcelona and transferring to another club.
The enigmatic 17-year-old has broken countless records in an awe-inspiring start to his professional career, which has already seen him rack up 100 games – with a far more significant impact – far quicker than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo managed.
Already regarded as one of the best players in the world, Yamal is a talismanic figure at Barcelona despite his tender years and is seemingly the future of Spain's national team – his incredible showing at Euro 2024 last summer provided an insight into what the future holds for him at international level.
Barcelona supporters hope Yamal will cement a legacy that is vaguely comparable to Messi, who is a God-like figure in Catalonia and in many parts of the world, but the club's precarious financial situation means a transfer away from the club can't be fully ruled out.
Joan Laporta, Barcelona's president, understandably has no interest in selling Yamal, knowing his on-field value will far outweigh the huge commercial revenue he can generate in the coming years. Such is his importance, a bid of €250m from Paris Saint-Germain was allegedly turned down in October.
Yamal, whose representatives are in the midst of negotiating a new contract for when he turns 18, has now commented publicly about his future, stating he can't see a world where he'd ever leave Barcelona.
"I don't hear about it. If someone in my camp does, they wouldn't have told me, either," he told Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo. "Firstly, and above all, because I have a contract and then because I think it's impossible that I would go to another club.
"I don't think anyone doubts how much I love this club. I have said as much since I made my debut and everything will be resolved in the end. If both parties want something to happen, it will happen. In July [when he turns 18], when the next season starts, everything will be resolved and everyone will see.
"But right now I am focused on La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey."
Laporta's no-sale stance was recently echoed by sporting director Deco, who warned any interested parties that Barcelona will not entertain the prospect of parting ways.
Yamal's current contract, signed in October 2023, expires at the end of next season, with the club not able to commit him to longer terms at the time because of his age.
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