According to the Spanish daily MARCA, the youth Lamine Yamal of Barcelona received an offer to sign with Manchester City this year. However, the 16-year-old player chose to remain with Barcelona instead of signing with Manchester City.

The offer that he received from the team that won the European Championship was compelling enough for them to request that he join the squad and immediately go on loan to Girona for the upcoming campaign.

Recently, Yamal created history when he made his debut with Spain’s national team by being the youngest player to ever play for Spain at the age of 16 years and 57 days. Most importantly, the teenage forward added a goal to his historic outing, making it one to remember.

Through this method, Yamal has surpassed his other club teammate Gavi, who made his debut for the national team in 2021 during the UEFA Nations League semi-final match against Italy.

When was it when Manchester City called?If Yamal ever decides to look back on the beginning of his career, the year 2023 will always have a special and valued importance for him. At the time, he was only 15 years old when he made his first appearance for Barcelona in La Liga.

During these formative years, Yamal was at a heartbreaking crossroads, having to choose between the pulsating magnetism of Spain and the passionate calling of Morocco. Both countries held a lot of appeal for Yamal.

In the midst of this decisive crossroads, another exceptional opportunity presented itself in the form of a proposition to join the ranks of Manchester City, a club that is recognized for its footballing brilliance as well as its global status.

It is interesting to note that City’s interest in Yamal extends back to the period of time before he made his debut with the senior team. For what it’s worth, the sixteen-year-old had been a closely guarded secret in the revered hallways of European football powerhouses for quite some time.

A star is being created. (Image courtesy of Getty Images and Eric Alonso)It was in February when the Manchester City club, masterminded by Pep Guardiola himself, made a persuasive pitch to the young prodigy. They asked him to forsake Barcelona, embrace the blue of Manchester City, and start on a footballing journey while playing on loan at Girona.

The refusal shown to YamalThere were no reservations about his ability to make an early impact on the team when the decision was made to allow him to continue his development with Montilivi, a club that is affiliated with City.

Instead, it was the result of the complicated repercussions of Brexit, which had the effect of placing constraints on the ability of English clubs to sign promising young players from other EU countries.

But in the end, it was Lamine Yamal’s decision to stick close to the comforts of his own home in Barcelona that proved to be the deciding factor.

The 16-year-old player has decided to continue his career with Barca and has reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with the club. An official announcement of the deal is anticipated to take place shortly after the break for international competition.