Barcelona was close to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2017, according to Josep Maria Bartomeu. Joan Laporta’s predecessor as president of Barcelona explains on Spanish television that Mbappé was actually Neymar’s intended successor, but in the end Ousmane Dembélé came. “Mbappé’s signature was on the table, but the other people who went over it preferred Dembélé,” Bartomeu said. TV3.
Barca were suddenly faced with the departure of Neymar in the summer of 2017, after Paris Saint-Germain decided to put its breakout clause on the table. Mbappe impressed at the time at AS Monaco, while Dembele was the rising star of Borussia Dortmund. “The moment such a player leaves, the president, the technical director and the coach always have doubts about the replacement. They believed that Dembele would fit better in the team than Mbappe, because they wanted a player who can break the field open.” .” The arrival of Dembélé, who according to Bartomeu came for 130 million euros plus 25 million euros in variables, partly due to frequent injuries turned out badly for Barcelona.
Bartomeu admits that his buying policy at Barcelona was not always good. “Some of the players we have brought in have not lived up to expectations. But that happens everywhere in football. Philippe Coutinho came (in January 2018, ed.) with the departure of Andrés Iniesta. He was the best player in England and worth the price. So Dembele came as a replacement for Neymar. When we got these players, everyone applauded it.”
In 2019, Bartomeu gave his approval to the arrival of Antoine Griezmann, who came over for 120 million euros. The arrival of the Frenchman also did not turn out great and he has now been loaned back to Atlético Madrid. “The tech people demanded Griezmann, not me,” said the former president. “They insisted on buying him. They saw him as a crucial team player, also because of Luis Suarez’s injury proneness. He was a different type of striker, a world star and a team player.”
Lionel Messi’s departure is also discussed. The superstar wanted to leave Barcelona under Bartomeu’s rule last year but was kept at the club against his will. Last summer, Messi wanted to sign, but Barca was unable to extend his contract due to major financial problems. “His departure is a problem,” said Bartomeu. “We are a buying club, not a selling club. I fought hard in the summer of 2020 to keep him. And now that he wanted to stay, he had to go. I couldn’t allow Messi to go to a Champions League rival. “It is clear that he was by far the highest paid player in the world. In July 2020 I reached an agreement with Messi to extend for two years, but it still broke down. We will have to ask Messi why.”