‘People thought we were crazy’ – Joan Laporta talks turning down €250m PSG bid for Lamine Yamal

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated that the club rejected a €250 million offer from Paris Saint-Germain for teenage winger Lamine Yamal, a decision he says left outside observers questioning the club’s sanity.

Speaking to Jijantes, Laporta recalled the moment the French champions tabled the bid while Yamal was still 17. “When PSG offered us €250 million for Lamine Yamal, and we rejected it, he was 17 years old; some people thought we were crazy,” he said.

The proposal arrived just as Yamal was on the verge of extending his contract with the Catalan giants. Jan Soler, one of Laporta’s advisers, confirmed the timeline during an interview with Cadena Ser. “We had a €250 million offer for Lamine. It was discussed between the agents. It came when Lamine was about to renew his contract; we don’t have to hide that.”

Yamal, who had already debuted for the first team and was being tipped as a generational talent, signed an initial deal in 2023 that contained a €1 billion release clause. He subsequently renewed that agreement last year, committing himself to the club through 2031.

Despite persistent speculation that PSG could return with another mammoth bid, Yamal has made his long-term intentions clear. “Yes, hopefully yes [I can retire at Barcelona],” he said. “In the end, I think I’m at the best club in the world, I enjoy every day very much, every training session. I’m in the best city in the world and hopefully I can stay here my whole life.”

Barcelona’s refusal to cash in on the forward underscores the club’s belief that Yamal will be a cornerstone of its project for the next decade, a stance that Laporta insists will not waver regardless of the figures floated by Europe’s wealthiest clubs.