Turning down €250m from PSG for Lamine Yamal makes me proud – Laporta

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed profound pride in the club’s decision to reject a world-record €250 million offer from Paris Saint-Germain for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

Speaking on Monday, March 9, 2026, during a high-stakes presidential campaign debate against rival Victor Font, Laporta emphasized that the refusal was a statement of the club’s long-term sporting vision over immediate financial relief.

The staggering proposal, which arrived in the summer of 2024 when Yamal was just 17, would have eclipsed the €222 million fee PSG paid for Neymar in 2017 to become the most expensive transfer in football history.

PSG reportedly viewed the Spanish winger as the essential cornerstone to rebuild their project following Kylian Mbappé’s departure to Real Madrid.

“When PSG offered us €250 million for Lamine Yamal and we said no, some thought we were crazy,” Laporta remarked, noting that the player has since become “untouchable” in the eyes of the board.

The 18-year-old’s commitment to the Catalan giants is secured through a contract that officially runs until June 30, 2031.

This extension, signed in May 2025, includes a €1 billion release clause and elevated Yamal to one of the highest-paid players at the club, reflecting his role as the face of the post-Messi era.

Yamal himself has publicly stated his desire to retire at Barcelona, describing it as the “club of my life”.

Yamal’s on-field contributions during the 2025–26 campaign have further validated the club’s stance. Inheriting the iconic number 10 shirt, he has led Barcelona to the brink of a second consecutive La Liga title, contributing 19 goals and 14 assists across all competitions as of early March.

His clinical form—highlighted by a recent career-first hat-trick against Villarreal—helped him secure second place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting.

As Barcelona heads toward its presidential elections on March 15, Laporta has used the rejected bid as a symbol of his administration’s success in protecting La Masia’s crown jewels despite ongoing economic challenges.