Lamine Yamal is one of the brightest talents coming out of the youth ranks of FC Barcelona in recent years. The player, who has already made his debut with the first team, has reached a personal milestone that will also have great implications for his professional career.
According to Mundo Deportivo, today is the sixteenth birthday of Yamal. As the player turns 16 years of age, he will be able to sign his first professional contract with the club in full accordance with the regulations and laws in the country.
Keeping in view the talent and projection of the player, the Catalan club has made a greater financial offer to Yamal than it normally offers other players in a similar age category. An official statement regarding the signing of a new contract is expected in the coming days as both the player and the club want to stay with each other.
The player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had already received the proposal from Barcelona a few weeks ago. This contract will run for three years, as UEFA and FIFA only allow a maximum of three-year contracts for youth talents.
While the player also had interest from other European sides, both the player and the club believed that the best course for the future was for Yamal to remain with Barcelona. Xavi has already shown faith in the youngster by allowing him to make his debut last season, and he will feature regularly in the first team in the coming season while being registered with the B team formally.
The player is also assured of a presence in the team’s tour to the USA, and if things go as planned, he will have quality minutes in the first division too next season. The club had not minded missing out on Arda Guler too much because Yamal has a similar profile, and the club would now be hoping the youngster can become an even better footballer than the Turk in coming seasons.
