Manchester City tried to sign 16-year-old Barcelona wonderkid this summer
There had been rumours earlier in the summer, as of yet unfounded, that relations between Barcelona and Manchester City were worsening. Now, the cause may have been revealed.
Barcelona ended up signing both captain Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo on loan from City this summer, but according to RadioMarca, City tried to poach their La Masia jewel Lamine Yamal.
Lamine Yamal only turned 16 in July, at which point he was eligible to sign a professional deal for the first time. Barcelona have publicly claimed that a deal is close to fruition, after reports all summer that it is all but done.
Earlier this week though, board member Enric Masip revealed that he had been close to leaving.
“Lamine Yamal and Balde were in serious danger of leaving this summer because there is a club that tried to poach them,” Masip said, as referenced Marca.
Now they have revealed that the club that tried to sign him were Manchester City. It is not yet clear whether the same is the case for Alejandro Balde, who is also yet to pen a renewal that Barcelona say is close.
Barcelona have close ties with Lamine Yamal‘s agent Jorge Mendes, which may have aided them in talks, given Mendes has much of his business with the Catalans.
Since, Xavi Hernandez has handed him three starts out of four this La Liga season, while Luis de la Fuente helped him to become Spain’s youngest ever player, starter and scorer against Georgia and Cyprus.
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