Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the club rejected an offer worth $270 million for Lamine Yamal in the summer.
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Barcelona rejected $270M bid for Yamal
The revelation came after Laporta said that the Catalan club had decided to let certain players leave.
While Laporta did not disclose which team wanted to sign Yamal, various reports suggest that Paris Saint-Germain made the offer.
“There are those that think we have [transferred players] to balance the accounts,” Laporta said in an interview with Barça’s in-house television channel.
“But that is not the case. The players that have left have left for sporting reasons.
“[Ousmane] Dembélé, [Marc] Guiu … they won’t have things as good as they did at Barça at any other club.”
“We know what we are doing in the transfer market. We want those that are the best and who want to be here to stay — and we have shown that.
“A club came to me to sign Lamine for €250M and I said no.”
Injury concerns
At just 17, Yamal has already made over 60 appearances for Barcelona.
Internationally, he played a key role in Spain’s EURO 2024 title run last summer.
However, there are already concerns over his exposure to senior football.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said that it is the clubs, not the national teams, that tell players to rest.
To recall, Yamal picked up a hamstring strain in Spain’s game against Denmark.
Laporta said that they don’t want Yamal to suffer the same fate as Barca midfielder Pedri.
Pedri has suffered injury problems since playing both the European Championships and the Olympic Games with Spain in the summer of 2021.
“It’s the clubs that pay the players,” Laporta reminded De la Fuente. “You have to keep that in mind. [De la Fuente] proclaims [Spain] just have them for one game a month, very well, but we pay the players.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Pedri. Making Lamine play [against Denmark] was reckless. Of course we defended our interests and they understood our planning and what the player felt.
“Lamine is a big personality and in the end the correct criteria was applied.”
Barca is counting on Yamal to return for their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich and El Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26.
