Barcelona’s Director of Football Deco has denied reports that Lamine Yamal wants to be the highest paid player at the club. The 17-year-old has guaranteed that he will stay at Barcelona publicly on several occasions, but his agent Jorge Mendes is currently in talks with the club over a new long-term deal once he turns 18 in July. President Joan Laporta admitted earlier this week that they would have to ‘suffer’ for it.
Speaking in a lengthy interview with RAC1, as recounted by MD, Deco explained to them that the most important thing was that he was happy at the club.
“He’s on the right path. He’s a player with a maturity that’s unusual. I have a son who’s the same age. A player with so much quality and self-confidence comes along… but we can never forget that he’s 17. He has to live his age a little, no matter how hard it is, and he has to be happy. A player at this level has to be happy. For me, it’s not a question of whether he’s 17, 26, or whatever; for me, football has to be fair and he has to have a contract that it appropriate for him. It’s not a question of being the highest paid player; the important thing is that he’s happy. For me, there’s no better club for him than Barca. Contracts are four, five, or six years, somewhere around there.”
Last season there was talk that Paris Saint-Germain had let Barcelona know that they are willing to pay €200m for the then 16-year-old Lamine Yamal. There has also been talk of a Real Madrid approach, but that was denied by Deco.
“Yes, last season yes, this one still no, but what we want is for him to stay. No offers, because he doesn’t want to listen, but PSG asked, Real Madrid, no.”
Deco: "Flick has brought stability to this project, he's found players who have been growing. Flick is happy here, he identifies with the club." @FCBRAC1
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 22, 2025
This week, it had been reported that Lamine Yamal was keen to be Barcelona’s highest-paid player next season, something that was denied by Deco. Perhaps the nuance is in whether Mendes asked for him.
“Lamine hasn’t asked to be the highest-paid player in the squad. We don’t talk to the players, it’s with the agents. He wants to be happy here.”
Deco: "How we signed Flick? We had a meeting in London. We saw him face to face, and we saw a coach who was quite informed about the youngsters and the club. More than talking about football, what surprised me was what he said about the young players who could help and that the…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 22, 2025
Previously his description of Lamine Yamal’s maturity was highlighted as one of his key attributes, and Deco explained that it is part of what makes him different. Despite constant comparisons with Lionel Messi, he has consistently said that he wants to follow his own path, not in the footsteps of Messi.
“Comparisons are difficult but normal. I’m a Barca fan, and I was excited about Ronnie and Messi, and now I see the same thing with Lamine. Lamine doesn’t care about pressure; he ignores the pressure of a stadium like Inter Milan’s or the Bernabeu, and for me that’s the best thing.”
“When defeat doesn’t hurt, you’re not one of the greats, and it hurts him. Because of his personality and mental ability, he’s a different kind of player, and that’s why there aren’t many Lamines. He also has very good technique; we have to take care of him like we would the others and make him feel important. We have to help him without forgetting that he’s 17; he’ll turn 18 in July.”
It might be a more quiet summer for Barcelona in terms of signings, but Deco was clear that a long-term deal for Lamine Yamal was better than any star arrival.
“Lamine Yamal’s contract extension. I want him to win the Ballon d’Or. We have a few players who can achieve this, and Lamine is one of them. Raphinha, given the season he’s had, is spectacular, but we’ll see. Of course, I’d like a Barça player to win the Ballon d’Or.”
Deco also avoided getting involved in whether he will take the number 10 shirt from Ansu Fati next season.
“I understand that you like to talk about this, but it doesn’t matter to us.”
Despite his apparent maturity, no doubt the downs will follow the ups at some point for the teenage superstar. The Blaugrana will have to be on alert to ensure that he has a strong support structure around him, on and off the pitch. Lamine Yamal has shown he can reach the level of the very best around this season, and now for Barcelona the challenge is to give him the resources to maintain that across a season and for many seasons to come.
