Bartomeu: Barcelona could have signed Kylian Mbappé in 2017 but staff prioritised Ousmane 

Who: Former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. What: Bartomeu says Barcelona considered Kylian Mbappé in 2017 but the club’s coaching staff preferred Ousmane Dembélé. When: The comment relates to the 2017 summer transfer period and was reported by World Soccer Talk on 5 May 2026, citing Bartomeu’s remarks via Cadena SER. Why it matters: Mbappé has since become a defining player for Real Madrid after his move to Paris Saint-Germain, so Bartomeu’s admission reshapes how Barcelona’s post‑Neymar recruitment choices are viewed.

Bartomeu’s account of the 2017 transfer decisions

According to the report, Bartomeu told Cadena SER that Barcelona investigated both Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé after Neymar’s departure in 2017. He said the club aimed to match offers to keep players from leaving and that coaching staff input favoured signing Dembélé. Bartomeu also said the only signing he personally decided as president was Luis Suárez.

How Bartomeu frames Barcelona’s post‑Neymar recruitment

In the interview cited by World Soccer Talk, Bartomeu reflected on Barcelona’s wider transfer strategy after Neymar’s €222m exit. He described the club’s subsequent major acquisitions — Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembélé and Antoine Griezmann — as attempts to lead a generational transition, a process he admits may have been mishandled or delayed.

Bartomeu is quoted as saying Dembélé might have been signed too young and that the timing of the generational changes (he references the Liverpool defeat) was not ideal. The report summarises Bartomeu’s view that, in hindsight, the recruitment choices following Neymar’s sale did not achieve the expected long‑term stability for Barcelona.

• Bartomeu says Barcelona explored both Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in 2017 (source: Cadena SER via World Soccer Talk).
• He claims the coaching staff preferred signing Dembélé over Mbappé.
• Bartomeu states his sole signing decision as president was Luis Suárez.
• He links Barcelona’s post‑Neymar recruitment (Coutinho, Dembélé, Griezmann) to a failed or mistimed generational transition.

Context: World Soccer Talk’s article notes that Mbappé left AS Monaco and eventually joined Paris Saint‑Germain for €180m, later moving on to Real Madrid, where he is described as a cornerstone. The report contrasts Mbappé’s subsequent rise with Dembélé’s struggles at Barcelona, attributing Dembélé’s underwhelming spell to injuries and inconsistent performances — claims presented in the article as part of Bartomeu’s and the outlet’s assessment.

What it means for Barcelona’s transfer legacy

Bartomeu’s remarks revive a debate about Barcelona’s recruitment choices after Neymar’s departure. If the club did indeed prioritise Dembélé internally, it underscores the role of coaching staff influence on transfer decisions and the long‑term consequences of those choices. However, the public record of offers, internal meetings, and the exact chain of decision‑making are not fully detailed in the single published report used here.

What happens next: The claim will likely prompt calls to consult the original Cadena SER interview and other contemporaneous reporting from 2017 to corroborate timelines and the level of interest Barcelona had in Mbappé. For readers, the point of immediate significance is how internal preferences — coaching versus presidential decisions — can shape a club’s transfer trajectory for years.