PSG are reportedly willing to break the world transfer record to sign Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal in order to replace Kylian Mbappe.
The 16-year-old phenom is widely regarded as the top teenage soccer player in the world. Despite his age, the winger managed to appear in 50 total matches for the Spanish side last season.
He scored seven goals and added 10 assists during this campaign. Yamal is also currently starring for Spain at Euro 2024 as well.
This is hardly the first time that PSG has registered interest in the youngster. The reigning Ligue 1 champions previously submitted a $218 million offer for Yamal in the spring.
Barca, however, quickly rejected the proposal. Joan Laporta, the Spanish club’s president, even later admitted to blocking Yamal’s potential move to PSG.
Nevertheless, Mundo Deportivo is now claiming that PSG is returning with an improved offer. The Spanish news outlet reports that the French team will pay Barca up to $268 million in order to grab Yamal. If accepted, this particular fee would be the most money ever accepted for a player in the history of the sport.
Interestingly enough, the two teams previously worked together to set the current transfer record. PSG gave Barca about $238 million in order to sign Neymar back in 2017. The Brazilian star spent six seasons in Paris before ultimately joining Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in a $96 million deal last summer.
PSG is clearly looking to make a splash as they enter their post-Kylian Mbappe era. The French superstar is departing this summer after seven seasons with the club.
Despite arguably being the most valuable soccer star in the world, Mbappe is joining Real Madrid in a free transfer. The move has not exactly gone down well at PSG.
Mbappe’s departure leaves a massive hole in the French team’s roster. As a result, club brass is looking to sign at least one significant player to help deflect the massive loss.
PSG officials are known for not being afraid to spend serious cash via their Qatari state ownership, and will be active throughout the summer transfer period.
While Yamal may be the ideal Mbappe replacement, completing the deal with Barca is not easy. $268 million is obviously a lot of money for a single player. It would be difficult for any team on the planet to reject this sort of fee.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned Spanish news outlet claims that the LaLiga side remain adamant that Yamal is simply not for sale at any price.
Despite their stance regarding the youngster, Barcelona are currently managing severe financial problems.
The club was previously charged with financial fair play violations in early 2023. They subsequently became creative in raising funds. This mostly consisted of offloading star players, but also involved selling small squares of Camp Nou grass.
These financial issues, however, have not yet subsided. In fact, LaLiga president Javier Tebas recently asserted that the club will likely have to continue selling players in order to ease spending concerns.
PSG is certainly aware of these problems. Potentially accepting the massive transfer fee for Yamal would help Barca quite a bit in the financial department.
The Spanish side, however, is trying their best to keep hold of the budding superstar. Barca fans will be hoping that the teenage sensation stays at the club for many years to come, even if it means the team has to sell other players.
Photo credits: IMAGO / Sven Simon : IMAGO / PanoramiC
