Lamine Yamal has reportedly requested that Barcelona elevate him to the top of the club’s wage bill, asking to become the highest paid player in the current squad.
The request has been made through his agency, which believes the teenager’s performances and market impact justify the demand.
Yamal, who has African roots through his Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan heritage, is viewed by his representatives as Barcelona’s most decisive attacking player.
The agency has conveyed that the 17-year-old not only leads in creativity and productivity on the pitch but also contributes significantly to the club’s commercial value and brand appeal.
According to Spanish journalist Víctor Navarro, they consider him the standout figure in the team and want his salary to reflect that.
While Barcelona recognise Yamal’s rising influence and extraordinary talent, the club remains hesitant to break its evolving wage structure.
Executives have reportedly responded by noting that the squad’s two current top earners—Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong—are products of a previous era of spending that the club is actively moving away from.
The Catalan side is attempting to reset its salary hierarchy as part of broader financial restructuring measures aimed at achieving sustainability.
Club leadership, under president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco, are committed to a new model in which younger players are gradually rewarded in line with performance and longevity rather than reputation alone.
The board believes setting Yamal’s wage at the highest level now, despite his potential, could disrupt efforts to control costs and reset expectations within the squad.
Yamal’s contract talks are expected to continue as Barcelona balance their financial strategy with the desire to retain one of the most promising young players in world football.
