Barcelona confirm receiving €200m bid for Lamine Yamal

Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club recently turned down an offer worth €200m for 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.

Reports from Spain recently claimed Barca knocked back a near-world record fee for the winger from Paris Saint-Germain, who are looking at replacements for the outgoing Kylian Mbappe.

As part of the launch of his new podcast on Barcelona's club channels, Laporta revealed such a sizeable offer did come in for Yamal, though did not identify who submitted it.

"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."

Yamal is the latest talent to come off of Barcelona's La Masia youth production line, and Laporta said transfer plans must not interfere with the pathways of these young players into the first team.

"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."

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