Football
FC Barcelona sporting director brushes off claims about bringing in Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid might be the side that Kylian Mbappe would join ahead of the next season.
Deco, Barcelona’s sports director, has denied reports that the club is trying to trade Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo in order to pursue Kylian Mbappe this summer. Araujo is a vital member of Barcelona’s present squad, having appeared in 25 games across all competitions so far and scored once. At the same time, de Jong is seen as a valuable asset, having appeared in 22 matches.
The possibility of bringing in Kylian Mbappe might seem appealing. This season, the World Cup champion has scored 30 goals from 29 appearances across all competitions. However, Deco confirmed the club’s attitude against Mbappe, saying
Deco said, “Selling Frenkie and Araujo and sign Mbappe? I don’t know where Mbappe will go but I wouldn’t sell neither Frenkie nor Araujo. We want to improve the team and not make it worse.”
The French international is widely expected to join Barcelona’s archrivals Real Madrid after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expires in the summer. In 289 games for Paris, Mbappe has 242 goals and 105 assists.
Mbappe has won five Ligue 1 titles, but he has yet to win the UEFA Champions League at PSG. It seems fair that he would choose Real Madrid ahead of Barcelona. This is because Los Blancos are now top of La Liga, eight points ahead of Xavi’s team in third.
“I wanted to come back” : Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on returning to FC Barcelona
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a former Arsenal striker, has confessed that he was hoping to rejoin Barcelona after leaving Chelsea. The Gabon international played the second part of the 2022/23 campaign at Camp Nou.
He netted 13 goals in 24 outings throughout competitions for the Catalans in the spell. After that he signed for the Blues during the summer of 2022 for €12.2 million. Aubameyang stated (via Barca Blaugranes) that he wanted to return to Spain following a poor stint in west London.
The former Chelsea striker said that, “I am very grateful for the love I received from everyone, from the fans and everything. I wanted to come back with all my heart, because I’m very proud of the eight months I spent here, It was incredible and I wanted to go back.”
