Lamine Yamal keeps the suspense about his future at FC Barcelona

The file of Lamine Yamal is the top priority of FC Barcelona. The current contract of the Rocafonda star expires in 2026 and the intention of the blue entity is to extend it until 2030, adjusting his salary to his new status as a star. The negotiations are on track and everything indicates that they will have a happy ending. However, the forward has chosen to maintain a 'strategic silence' when it comes to speaking about his future.

"I think that right now no one is thinking about that, that we are all focused on finishing the season with titles. Right now, I only have in mind to play and win with Barça. Now comes the decisive phase of the season and in my mind, that's all there is. I won’t talk about the renewal until the end of the season," concluded the winger when asked about the extension of his contract in an interview granted to 'AS' from the Spain concentration in Las Rozas.

"I won’t talk about the renewal until the end of the season"

The player's focus on lifting a title with Barça this season is total, which is why he also does not allow himself to think about the Ballon d'Or without first prioritizing the interests of the team. "The first thing is for Barça to win titles and everything else will come. It’s something that usually comes with collective titles, which is why I am in more of a hurry," Lamine stated emphatically.

In that sense, a few days ago, an Artificial Intelligence prediction surfaced claiming that the youth player will win the recognition of the best player in the world in 2029 as a Barça player, although it also stated that he will win it two more times, in 2035 and 2037... ¡with Real Madrid!. "Regarding 2029, I hope to win it before, because that would mean I have won the Champions League with Barça and the World Cup with Spain, which are my two big dreams. As for the other thing the AI says, well, it hasn’t gotten anything right. It’s wrong," said Yamal regarding that.

The fight for LaLiga and his goal for this season

About the Barça-Madrid clash in LaLiga, Lamine confessed that "I think it will be decided in favor of the team that makes fewer mistakes. Both Barça and Madrid are world-class teams that drop few points and are in a good moment. I believe that the Clásico in May, in Montjuïc, will be very important... just as the one we played on Sunday at the Metropolitano against Atlético was important."

"I also want to point out that sometimes leagues are decided in matches that you lose unexpectedly. It happened to us in December, against Betis or Leganés. Had we won those, we would now have a good lead. But the fact is that we have reached March tied on points, although we have one game less, and that’s why the Montjuïc Clásico could be key in this League," he added.

"Our goal is the treble"

When asked whether he would prefer the double (La Liga and Cup) or the Champions League, Lamine showed his ambition and stated that his goal is to go for the treble. "I think that right now for any Barça fan, the Champions League is the most special title, but our goal is the treble. Now, if I have to choose, then the European Cup," he explained.

Lamine's evolution as a player

According to a study by the CIES Football Observatory, Yamal is the second-best ranked player in terms of offensive performance. In this regard, the forward stated that "I don’t like statistics. You can go past ten opponents, pass it to another, that other one to one more and not get anything clean from the play... I’m more about watching the whole match and analyzing each player’s contribution to the team. Statistics do not reflect football as it is".

Finally, regarding his growth as a footballer, Lamine revealed that he is still far from reaching his peak. "I have evolved in my game. And of course I still have room to grow, because I am a young player and still have a lot to learn. At first, when you are starting in the first team, at the elite level, you don’t want to lose the ball and you do everything easy. But then you gain confidence and want to do more things, enjoy and be creative," he concluded.