Barca receive world record bid
After exploding onto the scene with the Catalan giants during the 2023-24 term, Yamal became a top priority for PSG in the summer of 2024. With the French powerhouse reeling from Kylian Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid, they were desperate for a marquee offensive reinforcement and zeroed in on the youngster, despite his tender age of 17. His masterclass throughout Spain’s victorious Euro 2024 campaign only served to intensify the Parisians’ pursuit, culminating in a staggering €250 million offer that the Barcelona board ultimately turned down.
The offer would have eclipsed the current world-record fee of €222m that PSG paid for Neymar in 2017, but the Blaugrana hierarchy stood firm despite their well-documented financial struggles. Reflecting on the decision, Laporta admitted that many outsiders questioned the club’s logic in walking away from such a monumental sum.
Financial risk vs sporting reward
.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1){kind=spacer}
“When PSG offered us €250 million for Lamine Yamal, and we rejected it, he was 17 years old; some people thought we were crazy,” Laporta remarked according to reports from Jijantes.
Deciding to reject €250m for a teenager was a massive gamble for a club that has spent much of the last five years navigating a bridge of economic uncertainty. A sale of that magnitude would have effectively wiped out significant portions of the club’s debt and provided immediate flexibility in the transfer market. However, Laporta and his team viewed Yamal as an “untouchable” asset, believing that his long-term sporting value and commercial appeal far outweighed even a world-record influx of cash.
The 18-year-old’s trajectory has certainly justified the club’s “crazy” stance. Since the offer was rebuffed, Yamal has become a global icon, with club legend Andres Iniesta even backing the youngster to secure the Ballon d’Or in the near future. The teenager has become the face of the post-Messi era at Camp Nou, proving that some talents are simply too precious to put a price tag on, regardless of the bank balance.
Maintaining the La Masia core
The revelation underscores Barcelona’s commitment to building their future around the cream of the La Masia crop. Yamal, who played a starring role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, has since established himself as one of the most feared attackers in world football. His rise was a rare bright spot during Xavi’s final season in charge, and under Hansi Flick, he has helped the club return to the pinnacle of Spanish football, securing a domestic treble last season and finishing as the runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Former board member Joan Soler further highlighted this policy of retention, noting that Yamal wasn’t the only homegrown star targeted by European heavyweights. Soler, as reported by SPORT, confirmed that there was a very important offer for Fermín from Chelsea this summer, but the club had no intention of cashing in. saying: “There was a very important offer for Fermín from Chelsea this summer, but the player didn’t want to leave, and we didn’t want to sell. Barca shouldn’t be a selling club, and we have to retain our homegrown players. We also had a €250m offer to sell Lamine [Yamal] in recent years. It came through agents, and that deal also fell through.”
Quest for a historic comeback
Barcelona is making it clear they will no longer be intimidated in the transfer market, standing firm even when state-funded giants wave nine-figure checks in their direction. This institutional steel will be put to the test on the pitch this week. The Blaugrana are set to host Villarreal in La Liga this Saturday, a crucial domestic fixture that serves as the prelude to a monumental task in attempting a historic comeback in the Copa del Rey. They head into the semi-final second leg on March 3 needing to overturn a staggering 4-0 aggregate deficit against Atletico Madrid to keep their cup dreams alive.
