According to former Barcelona president Joan Laporta, the team rejected a record-breaking transfer deal for teenage star Lamine Yamal. Speaking at the book presentation for “This Is How We Saved Barca,” Laporta disclosed that Paris Saint-Germain was willing to spend €250 million to get the young player to the Parc des Princes.

Yamal became a primary objective for PSG in the summer of 2024 after making a huge impact with the Catalan giants during the 2023–24 season. Despite the young player’s young age of 17, the French superpower was in dire need of a star attacking addition after Kylian Mbappe left for Real Madrid. The Parisians’ pursuit was heightened by his masterclass during Spain’s successful Euro 2024 campaign, which resulted in an incredible €250 million offer that the Barcelona board ultimately rejected.

The offer would have eclipsed the current world-record fee of €222m that PSG paid for Neymar in 2017, but the Blaugrana hierarchy stood firm despite their well-documented financial struggles. Reflecting on the decision, Laporta admitted that many outsiders questioned the club’s logic in walking away from such a monumental sum.

“When PSG offered us €250 million for Lamine Yamal, and we rejected it, he was 17 years old; some people thought we were crazy,” Laporta remarked according to reports from Jijantes.

Deciding to reject €250m for a teenager was a massive gamble for a club that has spent much of the last five years navigating a bridge of economic uncertainty. A sale of that magnitude would have effectively wiped out significant portions of the club’s debt and provided immediate flexibility in the transfer market. However, Laporta and his team viewed Yamal as an “untouchable” asset, believing that his long-term sporting value and commercial appeal far outweighed even a world-record influx of cash.

The 18-year-old’s trajectory has certainly justified the club’s “crazy” stance. Since the offer was rebuffed, Yamal has become a global icon, with club legend Andres Iniesta even backing the youngster to secure the Ballon d’Or in the near future. The teenager has become the face of the post-Messi era at Camp Nou, proving that some talents are simply too precious to put a price tag on, regardless of the bank balance.

The revelation underscores Barcelona’s commitment to building their future around the cream of the La Masia crop. Yamal, who played a starring role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, has since established himself as one of the most feared attackers in world football. His rise was a rare bright spot during Xavi’s final season in charge, and under Hansi Flick, he has helped the club return to the pinnacle of Spanish football, securing a domestic treble last season and finishing as the runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.

Former board member Joan Soler further highlighted this policy of retention, noting that Yamal wasn’t the only homegrown star targeted by European heavyweights. Soler, as reported by SPORT, confirmed that there was a very important offer for Fermín from Chelsea this summer, but the club had no intention of cashing in. saying: “There was a very important offer for Fermín from Chelsea this summer, but the player didn’t want to leave, and we didn’t want to sell. Barca shouldn’t be a selling club, and we have to retain our homegrown players. We also had a €250m offer to sell Lamine [Yamal] in recent years. It came through agents, and that deal also fell through.”

Insisting that homophobia be punished with the same rigor as racism, Real Madrid goalie Thibaut Courtois has advocated for a zero-tolerance policy towards all types of prejudice. After Gianluca Prestianni was given a provisional suspension for reportedly using a derogatory insult against Vinicius Jr. after Madrid’s 1-0 victory in Lisbon during a contentious Champions League match against Benfica, the Belgian goalkeeper made the remarks. According to accounts, the abuse may have been homophobic in character, despite the initial claims being based on a racial slur. Courtois has stated that both are equally “deplorable” and have no place in the modern game.

The fallout from the first-leg playoff continues to dominate the headlines as Real Madrid prepare for the return leg on Wednesday. Prestianni was provisionally suspended by UEFA on Monday after being accused of insulting the Brazilian international. However, the Argentine midfielder has denied the racism charge, claiming Vinicius misheard his words.

Adding a further layer to the incident, Aurelien Tchouameni revealed after the game that Prestianni claimed he did not use a racial slur but instead directed a homophobic comment at the winger. For Courtois, the distinction between the two types of abuse does not lessen the gravity of the situation.

Speaking to the media ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Courtois expressed his disgust at the scenes in Lisbon. “It’s just as serious because they are homophobic insults… I’ve also seen the images from the Benfica stand during the match and I think it’s deplorable to see that in a stadium,” Courtois told reporters on Tuesday, referring to fans making monkey gestures. “You may like a player more or less, but making those gestures is shameful… I haven’t seen if they’ve said anything about going after their fans who made those monkey gestures”.

The veteran goalkeeper also criticised the lack of immediate consequences for those involved in the stands. Courtois made it clear that the responsibility lies with stadium staff and authorities to act decisively when such behaviour occurs. “But with everything that has happened, there are many things that haven’t been done well. I think that racism, homophobia – all of these things – we simply cannot accept them and the insult is equally serious,” he added. The Belgian believes that the footballing world must move beyond debates over the type of insult and focus on the fundamental fact that any such abuse is unacceptable.

• Real Madrid star defends Vinicius against MourinhoThe tension surrounding the incident was further fueled by comments from Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho, who suggested that the fans’ reactions were triggered by the way Vinicius Jr. celebrated his goal. Courtois was quick to dismiss any attempt to shift the blame onto his teammate. “Vini didn’t do anything wrong. He celebrated the way many opponents have celebrated against us too,” Courtois said. “In the end we need to move on and leave it at that. We can’t justify an alleged act of racism with a celebration.”Under current UEFA regulations, any individual found guilty of insulting human dignity based on factors such as sexual orientation faces a minimum ban of 10 matches. During the match in Portugal, the referee paused play for several minutes following a complaint from Vinicius, and Courtois acknowledged that while procedures are improving, more can be done. “In the end, the problem is that, in that moment, it was Vinicius who decided that we went back to playing. If Vini had said no, that he couldn’t continue, then I think as a team we would have taken a stand there,” the goalkeeper noted.