Paris Saint-Germain are not considered likely to make an approach for Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal any time soon, despite longstanding transfer links with the teenage winger.
Yamal has established himself as one of the best players in the world over the past two years, having debuted for Barcelona in April 2023 at the age of just 15. The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up is good enough to play for any team, with PSG consistently alleged to be interested.
However, there doesn’t appear to be any substance to fresh speculation that the reigning European champions are keen to bring Yamal to the French capital.
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Since making Neymar and Kylian Mbappé the two most expensive players in history in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and landing Lionel Messi on a free transfer in 2021, PSG have taken a different approach to their squad building strategy. All three megastars have moved on from Parc des Princes and a fresh team with an emphasis on the collective effort, rather than individual brilliance, has thrived.
Neymar, Messi
Neymar (left) and Lionel Messi (right) have played together at Barcelona and PSG. / IMAGO/ABACAPRESS
For that reason, it appears that sporting directing Luis Campos and manager Luis Enrique both have little desire to recruit Yamal at this time. That information has been relayed by journalist Fabrice Hawkins, considered a reliable source within French football.
“[Signing Yamal] would go against some of the plans they are putting in place,” he said during an appearance on YouTube channel Aliotalk.
“If tomorrow they had to go after Yamal, it would cost over €200 million [$230.3 million]. At that price, and considering PSG’s current squad, are they going to pursue Yamal? I don’t believe so at all.”
Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique’s different approach finally delivered the international success PSG craved. / Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
In October 2024, in the wake of Yamal’s epic performance en-route to Spain winning the European Championship, Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed he had turned down a €250 million offer, which would have been a world record transfer fee.
“A club came to me to sign Lamine for €250 million and I said no,” he told Barcelona’s in-house media, without disclosing who was supposedly behind the probe.
The following month, senior Barcelona adviser Enric Masip said to El Chiringuito in Spain that the apparent bid “came from France,” seemingly pointing the finger at PSG.
However, via a report from French publication L’Équipe, PSG strongly denied the claims.
Tensions between the clubs have generally been high over the years. Barcelona never wanted to let Neymar go in 2017, but were powerless to stop it happening when PSG triggered his €222 million release clause and the Brazilian accepted the contract he was being offered in Paris.
PSG were also the club sat waiting to snap up Messi when Barcelona’s severe financial mismanagement meant they couldn’t register a contract that had been agreed, forcing his release as a free agent. More recently, PSG signed Ousmane Dembélé in a cut price deal in 2023 when Barça felt they had exhausted ways to get the best out of the Frenchman, only for him to reach new heights that he consistently fell short of in Spain and land the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
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