Lamine Yamal breakthrough led to Barcelona ending interest in Chelsea star

Lamine Yamal has established himself as a world class player over the last 12 months, despite only being 17 years of age. Barcelona are incredibly thankful to have him, and his presence has also had an effect on their transfer business.

Back in 2023, Barcelona were one of several clubs to hold a strong interest in Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian. The 17-year-old is a boyhood fan of the Catalan giants, and he even publicly revealed his desire to sign for them.

However, he has since joined Chelsea, and that is because Barcelona ended their interest in him – as revealed by Fabrizio Romano to CaughtOffside.

“Chelsea were one of several clubs interested in Estevao, but in reality all of the top European clubs were very attentive to his situation. He was on Barcelona’s list for example, and they wanted him before Lamine Yamal started to show what an exceptional talent he is.”

Estevao is tipped to be a leading talent in world football in the coming years, and although Barcelona would have benefitted from signing him, it did make little sense given that they already have Lamine Yamal.