Barcelona will have to improve their contract offer for Lamine Yamal next year, despite an agreement in principle being reached in the summer. The 17-year-old has no intention of playing for anyone else, but a tough negotiation is in store.
According to Sport, Lamine Yamal has already agreed a club-friendly deal in his current contract, which runs until 2026. However, they did have an agreement in principle to extend that deal until 2030, which agent Jorge Mendes will not adhere to.
Barcelona were already aware that they would need to improve their offering given his growth. The latter deal received a number of individual awards and was also concluded before Lamine Yamal led Spain to Euro 2024 and arguably became the creative center of this Barcelona team. However, it will not be an easy negotiation due to their financial situation.
Mendes wants a new deal in line with his status, with talks likely to restart in February or March once Barcelona have completed deals for Pedri and Gavi. The Blaugrana will look for a deal with an increasing salary to help them with their salary cap problems.
The Portuguese super agent confirmed on Monday that Lamine Yamal would renew at Barcelona, but it looks like they will have to leave – Mendes called him the biggest talent in football looking to the future. While most are trying to avoid comparisons with Lionel Messi, in terms of his contract situation and putting a structure in place around him, Barcelona look set to follow a similar pattern.
Comments