What a time for FC Barcelona fans to witness another young sensation playing for their club. Despite winning last year’s league title, the club is missing its peak era filled with European Championships and consecutive La Liga victories during Lionel Messi‘s time. But after their teenage superstar Lamine Yamal’s full potential was unleashed in the past few weeks during Euro 2024, the team is expected to be back with a bang in the upcoming season. However, it appears that this will not come without a cost, as the Spaniard’s value has increased and he is grabbing attention from other giants across Europe, which can prove threatening for the Blaugrana.

According to Sport, Yamal’s agent Jorge Mendes is demanding that Joan Laporta’s club provide a better contract to the 17-year-old. The mediator feels that the player has changed in the last few months and it’s time to give him what he deserves. Mendes is claimed to have said that the winger “has become the best ambassador for the Barça brand and is already the biggest idol of the club’s fans,” and is the club’s best asset in terms of both sport and brand.

Rising through the youth ranks of La Masia, Yamal has shown consistent progress and caught the eyes of fans last year. He became the youngest player to feature for the Catalan club at the age of fifteen and recently broke multiple European records in Germany. Most importantly, it is his potential that could lead the club to go overboard to keep the home-grown talent. Becoming the youngest player ever to score in the Euros, Yamal has already drawn parallels with Messi, his icon.

In fact, Messi was much older when he made his first appearance for the former Spanish champions. Hence, the player is in high demand, with other major clubs likely to spend significant amounts on him.

Manchester City and other clubs a threat for Barcelona to steal Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal signed a three-year contract, the maximum allowed for a 16-year-old, and is expected to stay until 2026. However, this could be under threat if the club doesn’t renegotiate his contract. According to the latest news, the star’s father Mounir Nasraoui has already targeted Manchester City as a potential destination in case Barcelona doesn’t offer a better deal. Manchester City is one of the most prolific spenders on talent, backed by their Middle Eastern ownership.

Before the Euros, news stated that even Paris Saint-Germain was ready to offer approximately $272 million as a transfer fee for the player to replace Kylian Mbappe. Earlier in March, Mendes was rumored to have met Laporta to mediate Luis Enrique’s interest in the star for $219 million. Regardless, the club doesn’t seem to have any interest in selling the player.

From the player’s perspective, neither Yamal nor his father has any interest in joining arch-rivals Real Madrid. Yamal recently revealed that he’d never join Los Blancos, but may move to other clubs once the contract expires if a worthy deal is not found at Camp Nou. Amid a severe financial struggle, can Joan Laporta and his crew keep the sensation for many more years? Let us know in the comments.