- Barcelona fear a repeat of Pedri situation
- Lamine Yamal to be featured in Euro 2024 and Olympics
- Why defeat against Arsenal brings an end to Man City's title defense – Listen to the podcast 'It's All Kickoff'
Barcelona fear a repeat of the Pedri situation as Spain consider signing Lamine Yamal ahead of Euro 2024 and the Olympics.
The 16-year-old winger garnered national attention on Tuesday night with another blockbuster performance in Spain's 3-3 draw against Brazil.
Many believe Yamal has already booked a seat on a flight to Germany for Euro 2024, despite only making his international debut last September.
According to Relevo, Yamal has also been selected to represent the Olympic team in Paris, and the federation is keen to include him in the team.
Barcelona are said to be aware of the federation's intentions and are concerned given the impact his playing in two major competitions has had on Pedri.
Pedri played 4,996 minutes in one season and made 73 appearances for club and country before appearing at the Olympics and Euro 2020.
The then 18-year-old had to settle for a silver medal as Spain lost 2-1 to Brazil in the final in Tokyo.
But just five days later, Pedri was photographed negotiating with Barcelona as they look to move on following Lionel Messi's departure.
Since then, Pedri has been plagued by muscle problems, most recently injuring himself again on March 3 in Barcelona's La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao.
The Catalans are therefore worried that Yamal will experience the same problem after playing in both competitions.
The country's law obliges clubs to release players for the Olympics, but Barcelona could request that the player be removed from the group.
If the Spanish coach agrees that it is better for the player not to be included in the Olympic squad, it is likely that he will allow the player to withdraw.
However, if he takes part in both, Barcelona will be obliged to give him time off after his return, thus losing a player who is currently very important for Barcelona.
Yamal was named first on the NXGN list compiled by the global network of youth football experts.
Previous gong winners include Jude Bellingham, Rodrigo and Jadon Sancho, and this year's list features the top 50 young people in the world.
Barcelona's prodigy Yamal tops the list despite being only 16 years old. The winger made his debut for Catalonia last season aged 15 and has shone for Xavi's team.
Yamal's impressive performances earned him a call-up to the national team in September 2023, where he scored on his debut for Spain against Georgia.
As a result, the 16-year-old star made headlines as he became the youngest player to feature and score for La Roja.
