In 2022, Bayern Munich had an opportunity to sign both Lamine Yamal and Gavi, but the deal fell through. When the number '10' changed his agent to Jorge Mendes, any deal became impossible.
In football, a single detail can alter the course of a career. According to journalist Christian Falk, 'BILD' have revealed how close Bayern Munich tried to sign Lamine Yamal just three years ago, before he had even made his debut for Barcelona, when his price would have been affordable for an unproven academy player.
In February of that year, Bayern Munich dispatched representatives to Barcelona. Hasan Salihamidzic and Marco Neppe, in charge of sporting direction, travelled to the Catalan capital to try to sign Gavi, who had already played his first season with the 'Azulgrana' despite being just 17 years old. He was a key player under Xavi, but the German club tried to sign him, capitalising on the club's delicate financial situation.
During that trip, the case of Lamine Yamal also caught their attention. He had been impressing in the youth ranks and was represented by Iván de la Peña. Bayern wanted to explore the possibility of signing the winger and attempted to meet Yamal's parents to push the idea of a transfer.
However, shortly afterwards, Jorge Mendes became the player's agent, and the possibility of convincing him vanished once he debuted under Xavi and began delivering outstanding performances for the first team. Nevertheless, Bayern were close to securing Lamine Yamal for a fee close to five million euros.