Player and his agent already have a verbal agreement with the club, with a deal to be ratified when he comes of age
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said that teenage sensation Lamine Yamal will sign a long-term contract extension with the club once he turns 18, describing the winger as a “genius” and a key figure in the club’s future.
Yamal, who is 17 years old and turns 18 in July, is currently tied to Barcelona on a professional contract limited to three years due to Spanish labour regulations for minors. However, a five-year deal, which is the maximum allowed once he comes of age, is reportedly already in place pending formal signing.
“His renewal is practically already agreed, it only requires its ratification,” Laporta told La Vanguardia. “He is a genius who enjoys Barca, who has friends at Barca and who, in addition, is part of this generation that has lived with his teammates a lot.”
The teenager’s blinding rise has become one of the biggest talking points in world football. After breaking into the Barcelona first team at just 15 and becoming the youngest player to ever feature in La Liga for the club, Yamal has since gone on to shine for both club and country, winning the Euros and playing over 100 games for Barcelona.
Laporta believes that Yamal’s development has been down not only to his individual brilliance but also his connection with the team and the environment fostered at the club. The player is a product of the La Masia academy, and even still lives in the building.
“He is a player of superlative individual talent, but he is also a team player and he is comfortable,” he said. “He also has an agent, Jorge Mendes, with whom we have easy communication.”
Yamal would clearly have his pick of top clubs across Europe if he were to decide to leave Barcelona. But the club president is confident the player sees his future at Catalonia, and drew comparisons with another left-footed superstar who once faced a similar crossroads early in his career.
“Lamine is a player who can succeed anywhere. We know. It happened to me with Leo Messi, who Inter wanted,” said Laporta. “And we ended up deciding together, including Leo’s father, that Barca would have the best project. And so it has been because he became the best in history.”
Now arguably the club’s brightest spark, Yamal appears set to lead the next generation at Barcelona, and Laporta is confident that the contract extension and the environment at the club will match his expectations.
“At Barca we pay players to the right extent of their abilities,” he said. “We are a club that pays well. We also say that there is nowhere better than Barca.
“Lamine, at 17 years old, is one of the best in the world. He is comfortable and so is his family.”
