Laporta confident of ´exceptional´ Yamal´s Barcelona contract renewal

Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains positive about Lamine Yamal’s contract renewal, with the youngster expected to extend his stay at the club.

Yamal is expected to sign a new contract in July when he turns 18 after enjoying another stellar campaign with Barcelona.

Following on from his success at Euro 2024, where he helped Spain to win the tournament, he helped Barca claim the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles this season.

He has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season and ed 21 assists, with only Raphinha (22) having more.

Laporta is confident about the deal, heaping praise on how Yamal has fit into the Barcelona set-up.

“It will go well. He’s exceptional. And he’s happy at Barca. We’re working on this g,” he told TV3.

“A Lamine who has exploded as he has, you have to treat him in a special way. He is out of the norm.

“We want him to be here for many years. Our approach over time will be important. So far, there haven’t been any problems with his team; on the contrary, this will end well.”

Laporta also issued updates on Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong, who is going into the final year of his deal.

The Brazilian is another one of Barcelona’s standouts this term, playing 56 matches across all competitions, with only Pedri (58) featuring in more.

Raphinha’s 56 goal involvements (34 goals, 22 assists) are the most by any LaLiga player across all competitions this season.

De Jong has also featured prominently, making 45 appearances in all competitions, and Laporta is keen to tie their futures to Barcelona in the near future.

“Raphinha’s new deal will happen. Deco has a strong connection with Rapha. The player feels very involved with the project,” he said. “We will reach an agreement because we want him to stay, and he wants to stay.

“Frenkie de Jong new deal? His situation is urgent. We don’t want a player who only has a one-year contract.

“He knows that, and we’ve talked about it. He’s very motivated. We really like the Dutch school of play. With him, we dominate the game.”