Could Jose Mourinho ever look to sign Lamine Yamal for Real Madrid?

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Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that he would have no interest in signing Lamine Yamal if the Barcelona superstar was made available to buy.

The Spain winger is widely regarded as the best footballer in the world, having already won the European Championship and the World Cup at just 19 years old, and he currently has the highest Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of any player on the planet - €171.8 million.

Current ETV

Lamine Yamal

F, M (R)

Barcelona

Lamine Yamal

F, M (R)

Barcelona

€171.8M

ETV Range

€154.6M - €188.9M

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Yamal registered 42 goal contributions in 45 games last season, helping Barcelona to a second consecutive La Liga title in the process, and he is the second-favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or - behind Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane.

However, Mourinho has confirmed that he doesn’t want Yamal in his squad following his re-appointment as the new Real Madrid manager ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

When asked if he would like to sign the Barcelona superstar, Mourinho told El Chiringuito (via AS): “No. He’s a great player, without a doubt, a young player with incredible room for improvement.

“It’s not normal to be European and world champion at his age, but we have a top squad. I wouldn’t make room for anyone. These are my players now. My players are the best.”

Real Madrid completed the signing of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande for a whopping €125m earlier this summer and he is expected to be the club’s first-choice right winger this season, with Vinicius Junior set to be deployed on the opposite flank after snubbing interest from Arsenal to sign a new contract.

Yamal, meanwhile, will play a starring role for Barcelona once again, and rumours in the Spanish press suggest that he may even be deployed in a false-nine role by Hansi Flick, following the departures of Robert Lewandowski to Chicago Fire and Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain.

Jose Mourinho issues Yan Diomande verdict

Diomande will be Real Madrid’s shiny new attacker this season, following a stellar stint at Leipzig, and Mourinho has confirmed that he will play a key role at the Bernabeu in years to come.

However, when asked if he personally requested the Ivorian, Mourinho said: “No, I didn’t ask for anyone. I arrived without asking for anyone, analysing the squad carefully and knowing what I would like to happen…

“Finding someone like Diomande - a fast, aggressive winger who can play on either side - isn’t easy. It’s difficult. On top of that, he’s young, he can develop and he has many years ahead of him at Real Madrid.

“When that option came up, I didn’t want to analyse whether it was $140 million, $93 million, $47 million or $23 million. I analysed the player’s profile and what he can give my team, and in that sense I said: ‘Yes, I want him.’ Whether it’s $140 million or $93 million... that’s no longer my business.”