According to Radio Marca’s report, Manchester City made an unsuccessful attempt in the summer of 2023 to sign Lamine Yamal, a winger for Barcelona who was then 16 years old.

The name Yamal is currently being bandied about a lot in La Liga. When he made his debut for Barcelona in their encounter against Cadiz on August 20, he became the youngest player in the club’s history to start a La Liga match. The exceptional play of the athlete, who only turned 16 in July, has drawn a lot of attention because it occurred right before his birthday. Since then, though, Barca’s head coach Xavi has consistently put him in the team’s starting lineup.

Recently, Yamal also became the youngest scorer for Spain in a match that took place on September 8 in the qualifying round for EURO 2024. The match was played against Georgia. Notably, Radio Marca disclosed that Manchester City “did everything” in the summer of 2023 in an attempt to attract Yamal away from Camp Nou and to Etihad, but they were unsuccessful.

It was also revealed by the advisor to Barca president Joan Laporta, Enric Masip, that another team is interested in Yamal. According to what Masip revealed, “Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde were in danger of leaving the club last summer due to a club’s attempt to “capture” them.” Man City was the name of the club that Masip stated.

Thankfully, Barca was able to effectively retain Yamal and bring the 16-year-old youthful prodigy to the forefront of the spotlight. At this time, Yamal’s contract with the Catalan giants only extends through the conclusion of the 2023/2024 season; however, Barcelona is aiming to ink a new long-term deal with him as soon as feasible. 

When this prodigy reached 16 in July of last year, representatives from La Liga were unable to sign a new contract with Yamal due to budgetary constraints. According to reports, Barcelona is “very upset” with Manchester City because of the recent moves made by the team that won the Champions League. But it is obvious that Barca has no reason to be furious… hardly. They have no time to waste and must act right away.