Kylian Mbappé could have joined FC Barcelona years ago, according to Spanish player agent Josep Maria Minguella.
In a documentary for Movistar, Minguella revealed that Mbappé’s camp had agreed to join Barcelona back in 2017 when Neymar left for PSG.
« I spoke with FC Barcelona and provided Mbappé’s father’s phone number so they could arrange a deal. He was willing to come to Barcelona and discuss. Days passed and no one called. I ended up calling Mbappé’s father myself. He said, ‘We never thought about Barcelona. With Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, we thought there was no place for Kylian. Now that Kylian is leaving, it would be an honor for him to play alongside such players at such a prestigious club.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, they will call you and there will be a meeting.’ I couldn’t convince anyone at Barcelona to call Mbappé’s father to start that meeting, » Minguella stated.
The Mbappé family had indeed approved a move to Barcelona, according to the agent. « From the family’s side, they were very clear. They were talking with Real Madrid. They never hid that Kylian was a fan of Zidane since childhood and liked Real Madrid a lot. But beyond that, they saw the opportunity to succeed at Barcelona. Neymar left, he would have played alongside Messi. Any player would have said yes as he did. »
Ultimately, Kylian Mbappé chose PSG, while Barcelona opted for Ousmane Dembélé. « The explanation they gave me for not signing Mbappé was that for the team’s system, Ousmane Dembélé was a better option than Kylian Mbappé. Economically, it would have been cheaper to sign Mbappé than Dembélé, but they considered that Dembélé had more of a winger profile and fit better with Messi and Coutinho. In my opinion, they made a mistake that will mark the club’s history for 10 years. »
The saga sheds light on Mbappé’s potential path to Barcelona and the decisions that shaped his career trajectory in European football.