Laporta Reveals FC Barcelona Turned Down Big-Money Offers for Lamine Yamal
President Joan Laporta of FC Barcelona admitted that the club has received lucrative offers for Lamine Yamal but has turned them all down because the club is not in urgent financial need and believes in the progression of the 16-year-old Spanish forward.
The Barça president made his debut in the first episode of "The President Joan Laporta Podcast," a new format created by Barça Studios where he will periodically analyze the club's sporting, institutional, and social news.
During his hour-long intervention, Laporta stated that there won't be many movements in the upcoming summer transfer market, both in terms of sales and acquisitions, emphasizing that Barcelona's model is to invest in youth players from the academy.
Regarding this commitment to La Masía, he cited Lamine Yamal as an example, one of the major discoveries of the season, for whom the club has already rejected several lucrative offers.
"If we said no (to offers for Lamine Yamal), it's because we are in an economic recovery process and seeing light at the end of the tunnel," said the Barça president regarding the club's financial situation.
Laporta also mentioned that selling other young talents from the first team is not in the plans: "We have offers for De Jong, Fermín, Balde, Gavi, Pedri, or Araujo, but we don't want to sell them. With the names I mentioned, we could fetch close to 1 billion euros."
Furthermore, he added, "We won't sell players unless one of them says they want to leave. We are very satisfied with all of them, and besides, acquisitions will be very selective to strengthen specific positions."
The president is less certain about who will be the head coach of the first-team next season, which could even be Xavi Hernández, despite announcing that he will leave the Barça bench once this season concludes.
"We have all committed to talking at the end of the season. He (Xavi) has made a decision, decisions are sometimes reconsidered. Imagine if we win a title? I think Xavi will reconsider it and tell us what he wants to do. If we win a title, I would like Xavi to continue," he reflected.
Laporta emphasized that both Xavi and sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco' are working "masterfully," as evidenced by recent weeks' qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals and an upward trajectory in LaLiga EA Sports.
"There is a league and there is the Champions League. We won't give up. We will fight until the end. Afterward, you can win or lose," Laporta concluded.