Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is arguably the most valuable asset the club has currently, but that status naturally comes with a wage rise for the 17-year-old. A significant one. The Blaugrana have been in talks over a new deal with his agent Jorge Mendes for several months, and the Portuguese has been adamant that the Euro 2024-winner will sign a new deal at Barcelona.

Currently on a contract until 2026, Lamine Yamal cannot commit to a deal longer than three years due to being underage, and as such, any contract signing will likely be done in July or August, once he has turned 18. It was reported at the time when he agreed his last deal, that a new contract until 2030 had also been agreed too.

However that was before he became a star for Spain and a regular for Barcelona, and naturally Mendes has been keen to renegotiate terms for a fairer deal – Barcelona have no interest in upsetting their most promising star either. After a four-hour meeting with Barcelona President Joan Laporta in Lisbon, ahead of their Champions League clash with Benfica, Mendes again reiterated that he expected a new deal to be done.

“We have only spoken about Lamine and everything is fine. He is going to renew, he is going to renew,” Mendes stated to Relief.

He was less certain about the future of Ansu Fati, but his discourse does tally with Lamine Yamal’s own statements in recent months. The 17-year-old has mentioned that he is grateful to Barcelona for everything they have given him, as well as noting that ‘nobody can question how much of a Barcelona fan I am.’

It is promising news for Barcelona, but in many ways the question is just as much what impact the deal will have on the rest of the squad. With Lamine Yamal likely to become one of the best-paid players at the club, and the Catalan giants still struggling with their salary limit, it could lead to cuts or sales elsewhere.