Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is reportedly set to be handed a new record-breaking contract worth billions
Yamal has emerged as one of the sport’s most promising young players after making his debut for Barcelona’s senior squad last year. The 17-year-old played for Spain during their incredible summer run to the Euro 2024 crown, and he already has 67 appearances for the La Liga powerhouses. Yamal will reportedly receive a brand-new contract that will surpass the world record now held by his Barcelona teammate as a reward for his outstanding performances.
Although the winger’s current contract, which he signed when he was 16, keeps him with the team until the summer of 2026, Barcelona has already prepared to offer him a new one when he reaches 18, according to Spanish publication El Chiringuito TV. According to reports, the agreement, which would keep Yamal at the Nou Camp for an additional six years, will be inked on July 13, his 18th birthday. Whether this will be six years from the conclusion of his current contract, which expires in 2032, or from next summer, when it expires in 2031, is unclear.
Amazingly, the contract’s release clause will total an incredible one billion euros (£831.2 million), shattering a global record set by my teammate Pedri in 2021. But when Pedri signed the historic contract with Barcelona, he was only a month away from turning 19, so if Yamal signs his new contract in July, he will be the youngest player to sign a contract this costly by almost 11 months.
However, according to talkSPORT, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, and Gavi all have one billion euro release clauses, so the young Spaniards are not the only men at Barcelona with incredible contracts. Longtime rivals Real Madrid also have a number of players on comparable contracts, so Barcelona isn’t the only team in La Liga locking down its finest players with unattainable release clauses. Along with Vinicius Jr., Eduardo Camavinga, and Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, an English superstar, is one of four players at the Bernabeu having one billion euro release clauses.
