Barcelona are supposedly planning to draw up a 'super contract' for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal as he continues to go from strength to strength in Catalonia.
Still just 17 years of age, the winger has already become a fundamental player for both club and country and is being labelled the next heir to Lionel Messi's throne in Barcelona.
After playing a key role in Spain's run to Euro 2024 glory, Yamal has excelled in the opening phase of the La Liga season, scoring three goals and setting up four more in five matches.
Yamal's emergence unsurprisingly led to top clubs from elsewhere taking notice, and French giants Paris Saint-Germain were unsuccessful with a world-record bid to prise him away from Catalonia.
Back in October 2023, Barcelona extended Yamal's deal until the summer of 2026 with a release clause of £845m, but they could not tie him down for longer than three years due to his age.
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Lamine Yamal 'in line for huge pay rise'
The 17-year-old is also believed to be earning around €1.5m (£1.3m) per year at Barcelona, but according to Marca, the club now recognise that they need to improve his contract conditions further.
The report claims that the first port of call will be to increase the winger's salary to reflect his status as one of the club's most important players, bringing him in line with Hansi Flick's top earners.
Yamal apparently received a sizeable bonus last season thanks to his performances on the pitch, but Barcelona have accepted that his pay packet is 'out of date' and will be bumped up as a matter of priority.
Once Barcelona and Yamal - together with agent Jorge Mendes - agree on a new wage packet, the teenager will apparently pen a long-term agreement until 2030 when he turns 18 next July.
La Blaugrana issued a firm hands-off warning to PSG when the Ligue 1 champions came forward in the summer, and Yamal himself has also stressed that he wants to continue at Barcelona for years to come.
Barcelona 'to build team' around Yamal and La Masia graduates
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The teenager became Barcelona's youngest player for over 100 years when he made his debut as a 15-year-old in April 2023, since when he has amassed 10 goals and 13 assists in 56 games for the Catalan giants.
Also holding the honour of being Spain's youngest-ever player and goalscorer, Yamal has netted three goals and set up nine more in 16 matches for his nation, winning both the Young Player and Goal of the Tournament prizes at Euro 2024.
The 17-year-old is said to be one of a few La Masia graduates that Barcelona are planning to build their future team around, a list that also includes centre-back Pau Cubarsi and midfielders Gavi and Fermin Lopez.
Barcelona have made a perfect start to life under Flick, winning each of their first five games of the La Liga season to sit four points clear of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal at the top of the table.
Flick's side now prepare to kick off their new Champions League campaign away to Monaco on Thursday night.
Ben Knapton
