The fallout from Neymar’s historic exit continues to offer new insight, with former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu now revealing how the club reacted, including a missed opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking after previously discussing a huge offer for Lionel Messi, Bartomeu turned his attention to the moment Neymar left for Paris Saint-Germain in a record-breaking €222 million deal in an interview with SER.
The transfer remains the most expensive in football history and marked a turning point for Barcelona.
Reflecting on that moment, Bartomeu admitted the club were caught off guard.
“Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave.”
With little time to react, Barcelona were forced into the market to find a replacement. Explaining the club’s next steps, he said,
“After that, we started looking for a replacement. We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.”
Why Dembele over Mbappe?
At the time, Mbappe was emerging as one of Europe’s brightest young talents at AS Monaco, and Barcelona explored the possibility of signing him.
Barcelona attempted to sign Mbappe from AS Monaco. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
However, the financial demands became clear, as Bartomeu explained,
“It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you: he’s worth €180 million. If you want Mbappe, it’s €180million, and Paris paid it.”
Ultimately, Barcelona ended up paying €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons to Borussia Dortmund for Dembele.
Bartomeu also addressed how such major decisions were made at the club, making it clear that he avoided interfering in football matters.
“The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Luis Suarez.”
He then explained why he chose to step back from sporting decisions.
“I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learnt the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters.
“We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings,” he concluded.
