Club president Laporta reveals
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At the launch of his book “Així hem salvat el Barça” (“This is how we saved Barça”), club president Joan Laporta reported how, in consultation with the FC Barcelona board, he rejected a huge offer for homegrown player Lamine Yamal.
Accordingly, PSG offered 250 million euros almost two years ago to bring the then 17-year-old Spaniard to Paris. It could have been the most expensive transfer in history. PSG tried to break their own record, which they set with Neymar, and find a replacement for Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman left the Parisians for Real Madrid after a long contract poker. In 2017, Barça could not reject PSG’s offer for Neymar due to a release clause of 222 million euros – in 2024 they could.
Despite the financial hardship in which the Catalans were at the time and still are, they stuck to their new figurehead. At the end of October 2025, Barça was around 470 million euros in debt, and in 2024 it was 90 million euros more. “When PSG offered us 250 million for Lamine Yamal and we refused, he was 17 years old. Some people thought we were crazy,” explained Laporta.
From a sporting perspective it was the right decision. Lamine Yamal, who made his way into the ranks of world stars thanks to his great performances at the 2024 European Championship, steadily increased his performance and established himself in the Catalans’ starting eleven at a young age. In 2025 he finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings. Lamine Yamal was rewarded with a new contract until 2031, which includes an exit clause of 1 billion euros.
