FC Barcelona have dealt with financial hurdles over the last few years, which have taken them out of any race to be a potential spot for Kylian Mbappé. However, one former club executive notes that if he had his way, the Frenchman would be playing for the Catalan side.
The Spanish giants had a large sum of money after PSG paid Neymar Jr.’s €222 million release clause in 2017. Bordas claims they could have signed Mbappé, who joined the Parisians that summer, and Erling Haaland with the money they received.
“If I had been in charge, Mbappé would have played for Barça,” Bordas told El Chiringuito. “When they paid 222 million for Neymar, we had the money to sign him. But the management preferred Dembélé. I pushed for Mbappé, I spoke with his father, and he would have come to Barça.
“For a moment, on the 30th, I thought we had him. Haaland wants to come to Spain. He wanted to come to Barça. It would have cost us 20 million to Salzburg and another 20 to Raiola. He had already exploded. There were talks, Suarez was there, and the coaches decided not to sign him.”
🔥 "MBAPPÉ HABRÍA VENIDO al BARÇA" 🔥
😯 Javier Bordas, exdirectivo azulgrana, lo desvela en 'Sólo para culés'
👐 El club terminó fichando a Dembélé. pic.twitter.com/QSvENfrABs
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) April 4, 2024
It’s one of those “what if” stories that many often see in football regarding transfers that could’ve happened or fell short of happening. Nonetheless, Barcelona will play against Mbappé next week in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. Furthermore, these two legs might not be the only time Barcelona sees the 25-year-old.
Should the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner make a move to Real Madrid this summer, as many anticipate, Barcelona could find themselves facing him more frequently, adding another layer of intrigue to the already intense rivalry.
