Opinion: Lamine Yamal is priceless to Barcelona, amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United

Lamine Yamal has been a revelation for Barcelona this season, since breaking into the first team last summer. Despite being only 16, he has shown levels well above his age, and especially in recent weeks.

The teenager has become a regular member of head coach Xavi Hernandez’s side during the 2023-24 campaign, and he has often started for Barcelona. His minutes have been managed effectively by the 43-year-old manager, although he has been forced into starting him consistently in the last few weeks, due to Raphinha’s injury problems.

It is during this period that Lamine Yamal has especially shone. He produced an outstanding performance against Real Betis last weekend, a display that was capped off with an assist in the latter stages of that one. To top that off, he also scored a Lionel Messi-esque goal during Barcelona’s Copa de Rey defeat to Athletic Club on Wednesday.

Lamine Yamal’s talent is plain to see. Many believe that he is the best youngster to emerge from the La Masia academy since Messi back in the 2000s, and you can understand why. His level of play is absolutely absurd for a 16-year-old, which has caused many to tip him as a future Ballon d’Or winner.

It is not just within Barcelona that Lamine Yamal is greatly appreciated. Fichajes say that Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are all big fans of the youngster, and they would love to sign him in the summer. The report notes that the Premier League clubs could take advantage of the Catalan giants’ ongoing financial problems to sign one of the best young players in world football.

Simply put, Barcelona would be utterly crazy to sell Lamine Yamal, especially at this stage of his career. Without putting too much pressure on his shoulders, he is a crazy prospect, one that should go on to become a world beater. No amount of money that they could receive right now would be worth selling him.

Although they are significantly struggling with money problems, you’d imagine that Barcelona are well aware of how good Lamine Yamal, and that they should not sell him under any circumstances. The club have made several questionable decisions during the Joan Laporta era, and this shouldn’t be one of them – it’s clear that no sale should be allowed.

It’s natural that interest will be shown in Barcelona’s best players because of their money woes, but the club’s supporters would surely hope that they can stop any sales that relate to someone like Lamine Yamal.

Tags Barcelona Chelsea Lamine Yamal Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United
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