Lamine Yamal, 16, signs new deal at Barcelona with $1.05B buyout clause
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — Not long after his 16th birthday, emerging Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is already proving his worth – to the tune of one billion euros (around $1.05 billion).
Barça set the astronomical buyout clause for Yamal as the teenage forward signed a new contract on Monday, keeping him at the club until June 2026.
Yamal became the youngest player to appear in a competitive fixture for the Blaugrana earlier this year, and last month became the Spanish national team’s youngest ever player and goalscorer when he came on as a substitute in a 7-1 victory against Georgia.
He is also the youngest Barça player to appear in the Champions League and the second-youngest in the competition’s history after Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
“For me, it’s like a dream to spend three more years at the club of my life,” Yamal, who joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy aged seven, said in a video on the club’s social media pages. “I’m very happy and I hope that the best can happen with Barça.”
Having become the five-time Champions League winner’s youngest ever player in more than a century when he starred against Real Betis in April, Yamal has appeared in several La Liga games this season, both as a starter and a substitute.
He could play in his second Champions League game on Wednesday as the Catalan giant takes on Portuguese side FC Porto.
Should he score his first goal for the club in that game, then he would comfortably become the competition’s youngest goalscorer ahead of Barça teammate Ansu Fati, who is currently on loan in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The-CNN-Wire
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