Barcelona reportedly have no interest in pursuing a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s star forward, Kylian Mbappe.
The French striker, PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer, has recently found himself out of favor with the club after refusing to sign a new contract.
Earlier this summer, Mbappe expressed his desire to leave PSG as a free agent in 2024, a stance that didn’t sit well with the club officials, who are unwilling to lose their prized asset without compensation.
The situation has led to a surge in interest from various parties vying for the 24-year-old’s signature. On Monday, it was disclosed that Al-Hilal was willing to make an extraordinary £259m offer to secure Mbappe’s services, along with highly attractive financial terms over a shorter period.
Despite PSG’s willingness to accept the offer, numerous European teams have been linked with the young striker, including the financially troubled Barcelona, which raised eyebrows among football fans.
Barcelona’s financial woes have been well-documented, with the club unable to afford signing Lionel Messi on a free transfer just last month.
Amidst such constraints, sources from Marca have confirmed that Barcelona will not be making any bid for Mbappe, not even on loan. The club’s recent acquisitions of Inigo Martinez, Oriol Romeu, and Ilkay Gundogan have been relatively inexpensive, totaling just €3.4m (£2.93m).
While Barcelona may still be in the market for competition to bolster their attacking line, much will depend on their ability to reduce their financial outgoings. Martinez, Romeu, and Gundogan are yet to be officially registered for the upcoming La Liga campaign until further cutbacks are made.
Meanwhile, other European giants such as Liverpool and Chelsea have shown interest in acquiring Mbappe’s services. However, Al-Hilal’s world-record bid has upped the stakes for potential suitors, making the competition fierce.
Behind the scenes at PSG, there’s a belief that Mbappe is destined to join Real Madrid as a free agent in less than 12 months, which has prompted their aggressive approach to facilitate a sale as soon as possible.