They say old habits die hard and in the soccer transfer world, PSG has made it a habit to target Barcelona's star wingers, including Neymar, Ousmane Dembélé and now, Lamine Yamal.
Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta admitted in October that he rejected a $264 million offer for Yamal only six months ago. The club that tried to sign Yamal was kept under wraps, but advisor to the president, Enric Masip spoke in an interview with El Cafelito where the subject was brought up once again.
"The president already said that he had an offer of €250 million ($264m) that he rejected and he didn't even consider it," Masip said when asked if there was any risk of losing Yamal over the summer.
Masip was hesitant to name which team made the offer; however, when asked if the team who targeted Yamal was from England or France, he said the latter, indirectly confirming that it was PSG who tried to make a move for the 17-year-old star.
"When you have the money and a way of paying then you can aspire to try to sign everything," Masip added.
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Barcelona knows better than anyone that money is synonymous with PSG. It's been just over seven years since the Parisians broke the all-time transfer record when they triggered Neymar's €222 million ($264m) release clause to lure him out of Barcelona. It was a transfer that altered the sport and reshaped the transfer market.
The Catalans learned from the Neymar saga and shielded Yamal with a €1 billion ($1.1b) release clause last October, making it essentially impossible for any club to come and pay the sum. Any potential suitors would be forced to negotiate with Barcelona.
Sources from PSG have come out categorically denying the information Barcelona's higher-ups disclosed. However, it's been admitted that PSG's sporting director, Luis Campos did inquire about Yamal's situation at Barcelona with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
Yamal's deal is up in 2026 with Barcelona, but a new, longer and more lucrative agreement is expected to be reached between player and club next summer once Yamal is 18-years-old.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG Offered Record-Breaking Fee for Barcelona Star Last Summer.
