Lamine Yamal’s current contract expires in 2026, and although there is a ‘verbal agreement’ to extend it until 2030 when he turns 18, the lack of financial guarantees is said to have caused the player’s contract renewal to stall.
The contract extension negotiations are being handled with great secrecy by all parties. Lamine Yamal is no longer just worth his salary. He also makes the Barça brand richer. That is the understanding of his agent, Jorge Mendes, who works with Deco, with whom he has a good relationship, to harmonize his demands with those of the club as much as possible.
The idea of the Catalan club is to secure its greatest asset for another five years, until June 2030, and the player cannot conceive of any other option than continuing his career as a Barça player. However, aware of his importance within the team, the player has expressed to his agent, Jorge Mendes, his desire to sign a new contract in line with his status.
FC Barcelona has shown its willingness to meet Lamine’s expectations by paying him an estimated salary of between €7 million and €10 million per season, although a higher figure has not been ruled out. The date for the signing of Lamine’s new contract is July 13-14, when he turns 18, but everything discussed with Mendes previously is verbal and subject to review, as the club has admitted.
The rule of tranquility
LaLiga has introduced a key clause in its financial control regulations that will facilitate the registration of the youth player’s new contract. As explained by LaLiga, a youth player can be renewed without affecting the club’s salary cap for that season, even if it has been exceeded, as is currently the case with Barça.
To qualify, the player must be under 24 years of age and have been under contract for at least the previous three consecutive seasons with the same club, as is the case with Lamine Yamal at Barça.
However, the rule is not a blank check. Any excess in the salary cap must be recovered during the course of the season or will be deducted from the next season’s salary cap. In other words, Barça can renew Lamine’s contract now and register his new contract for the 2025/26 season, but it will have to balance the books before the end of the current season.