Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club had the chance to sign Kylian Mbappe in 2017.
Mbappe is now one of the most coveted players in world football, attracting plenty of attention from Real Madrid, in particular, as his PSG contract nears its end.
The French striker has been with PSG since 2018 after he burst onto the season with Monaco.
And according to former Barca chief Bartomeu, Barca could have beaten PSG to the signing a year earlier.
But instead, they opted to sign then Borussia Dortmund star Ousmane Dembélé on a deal worth around €135million.
“His (Mbappe’s) signing was on the table, but the coaches preferred Dembélé because they wanted a player who would open up the pitch,” Bartomeu told ESport3.
Since then, Dembélé has suffered from a mountain of injury issues, while his national teammate Mbappe has gone from strength to strength.
But in defence of then Barca boss Ernesto Valverde, Dembélé was ahead of Mbappe given he was older and already showing world-class talent.
As sharp as Mbappe was as a youngster, there was no guarantee he would turn out to be just as good as he is today, and these decisions often look a lot worse in hindsight.
Lame excuse. That Bartomeu era was a time bomb and its explosive effect is what we are all witnessing now. He Bartomeu should be very ashamed of himself together with his other supporting cast who through their actions have plunge Barca into a great mess and made us a laughing stock in the world now. He shouldn’t be walking free😡😡😡
💯 agree
100%