Lamine Yamal, the talented Barcelona youth player, has become a sensation in European football at the start of the season. His impressive performance has not gone unnoticed by any team, especially Manchester City, who this summer tried to seduce him with their ‘Cityzen’ project. However, the 18-year-old young footballer rejected Pep Guardiola’s tempting offer immediately, making it clear that his dream is to succeed with the Barça shirt.
Manchester City, who lost important pieces in the summer market such as Riyad Mahrez and youth player Cole Palmer, had Yamal on their radar for a long time. Despite the insistence of the English club, the Spanish winger did not even consider the proposal. His heart beats with the Barcelona colors, not ‘sky blue’, as reported by Radio Marca.
Yamal has had an immediate impact in the Spanish League, being a starter and the MVP in the game against Cádiz. His technical quality and intelligence near the rival area have left everyone impressed. This performance earned him a call-up to the Spanish senior team, where he made history by becoming the youngest goalscorer of all time with a goal against Georgia. This is just the beginning, and he is expected to break more records at Barcelona this season.
Reason for bad relations between clubs
However, this attempt by Manchester City to sign Yamal has left consequences in the relations between the English club and Barcelona. The City board has tried on several occasions to take Barcelona players, such as Yaya Touré, Eric García, Sergio Agüero, Ferran Torres, and João Cancelo, which has generated tensions between both entities.
The ‘Lamine Yamal case’ could mark a turning point in the relationship between Barcelona and Manchester City. Although the English club could not take this young promise, her interest could mean a before and after in the way Barcelona looks at its British competitor in the future.