Interest in Lamine Yamal, a 16-year-old prodigy from La Masia, has increased as a result of his recent explosion at Barcelona.

The gifted attacker turned 16 last month and is eligible to sign his first professional deal, drawing attention from all around Europe. However, he is still tied by an academy contract.

Barcelona moved swiftly to take action and persuade him to stay at the club by giving him a first-team break under Xavi Hernandez.

The club has already received assurances from Yamal’s representative, Jorge Mendes, that the 16-year-old will sign a new deal and pledge his long-term future to the Catalans.

Yamal was a target for Manchester City.However, in the meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo reports that Manchester City, the Premier League champion, had expressed interest in signing Yamal.

The plan for the defending Premier League champions was to sign the young wonderkid through their sister club Girona, where they would give him a few years to mature before bringing him to the Etihad Stadium.

However, before they could even get started, Barcelona persuaded Yamal to stay at the club, derailing their intentions.

With Ousmane Dembele gone for the season, the La Masia grad is poised to play a significant part in the first-team setup.

The manager and Xavi have complete faith in the prodigy to deliver top-notch results.

The young player has performed admirably each time he has played for the senior team, and with Raphinha sidelined, he looks certain to make his debut against Cadiz later this week.