Barcelona wonderkid nearly joined Bayern Munich for just €5 million in 2022 | OneFootball

According to a detailed revelation from BILD, Bayern Munich once came remarkably close to prising away Barcelona’s golden boy Lamine Yamal.

The German giants, led by their then-sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, held meetings in Madrid with Ivan de la Pena in 2022 with the intention of signing both Gavi and Yamal.

For Bayern, the plan was to wait until Yamal turned 16 in 2023, convince his family to move to Germany, and secure the deal for around €5 million.

The Bavarians even hoped to sit down with his parents directly, confident they had an early advantage before the rest of Europe realised how special he was.

So what changed?

But everything changed when Jorge Mendes stepped in. De la Pena lost his client to Mendes, who immediately reset the terms of the conversation.

When Salihamidzic called Mendes, the Portuguese super-agent coolly told him that the family could “possibly be convinced” for €5 million.

Bayern hesitated, worried about the risks of spending so much on an unknown teenager. That brief hesitation cost them dearly.

Bayern Munich hesitated to pay €5 million for Yamal. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

While Bayern debated, Barcelona acted. Yamal made his first-team debut at just 15, an opportunity that transformed his outlook.

The winger realised that the club that had raised him at La Masia already trusted him enough to put him on the Camp Nou stage.

That moment changed everything, as instead of leaving, Yamal decided to commit his future to Barça.

By October 2023, Barcelona made the decision irreversible. Yamal signed a new contract until 2026, with a €1 billion release clause.

Bayern’s opportunity vanished overnight. What could have been a bargain at €5 million turned into an impossible dream.

Today, the story stands as another reminder of Barça’s faith in their academy.

Bayern may have tried to lure him away, but ultimately, Yamal chose the club that believed in him before anyone else. The rest, as they say, is history.