Documentary States Barcelona Had Deal in Place to Sign Kylian Mbappe Before PSG Did
Barcelona were not only left reeling from Neymar's shock move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but by Kylian Mbappe's transfer to France as well after new claims have emerged that the youngster was seemingly all set to go to Camp Nou until the last day of the transfer window.
According to a L'Equipe documentary, there was a deal between Monaco and Barça on 30th August and a plane was even waiting to take Mbappe to complete the move.
The proposed agreement apparently involved a payment plus Arda Turan heading to Monaco in the opposite direction and would have seen Mbappe fill the hole at Camp Nou left by Neymar, along with Ousmane Dembele, who had already joined from Borussia Dortmund.
It is said that PSG did not have an agreement of their own on the night of the 30th, only sealing their deal a day later as the proposed move to Barcelona broke down. Whether or not the breakdown was as a result of Mbappe's subsequently stated desire to play for home city club PSG is unclear.
If the claim is true, it will have been a huge blow for Barça, not only in terms of losing out to PSG for the second time in the space of few weeks, but in terms of another failed deal.
It has been suggested numerous times in recent seasons that Camp Nou officials have not been able to get deals over the line, despite interest from players in signing. That extends to individuals like Marco Asensio, Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos, all of whom joined Real Madrid instead.
