Barcelona's failed attempt to hijack PSG's agreement to sign Kylian Mbappe

Barcelona have attempted, and failed to hijack Paris Saint-Germain’s deal to sign Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco as the French starlet finalised his move to Paris. The Catalan club’s late move for the teenage France international came as Paris Saint-Germain sought to structure their agreement with Monaco in a fashion that would meet UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations.

Barca’s move for Mbappe offered the attraction of extracting revenge on PSG for their forced €222million purchase of Neymar earlier this summer, while also providing an alternative to the increasingly tortuous pursuit of Brazil international Philippe Coutinho. As negotiations over the two deals proceeded in the early hours of Thursday morning, Barcelona had a private jet prepared to fly Mbappe to Catalonia for a medical.

PSG agreed personal terms with Mbappe in the first week of August, convincing the 18-year-old to turn his back on a verbal commitment to join Real Madrid by offering a salary of around €9m after-tax. Although the Qatar-owned club also reached an outline agreement on a record transfer fee with Monaco, formal completion of the transaction was postponed as PSG attempted to construct it in a form that would allow them to pass an end-of-season FFP test.

READ MORE: Kylian Mbappe completes move from Monaco to Ligue 1 rivals PSG

READ MORE: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain completes Liverpool switch

READ MORE: Sanches joins Swansea on loan from Bayern

The delay permitted a Barcelona board under increasing pressure from its supporters to take dramatic action in the transfer market to make a late attempt to gazump their deal. According to sources involved in the negotiations, Barca believed they could succeed in capturing Mbappe as late as last night only for PSG to convince the teenage striker to recommit to the Parisians.

PSG’s restructured deal to sign Mbappe – on loan with a compulsory option to buy before 2022 – was formally concluded on Thursday evening. It may, however, come at the cost of the club’s agreement to purchase Fabinho from Monaco for a further €55m. “Fabinho is difficult now because PSG have their FFP position to consider,” said a source.

Barcelona entered the final week of the window believing they had finally struck an agreement with Liverpool to sign Coutinho for a potential fee of €160m. The Brazil international was informed that the transfer would be concluded once the English club had managed to deploy some of that club-record fee to secure a replacement.

Although Liverpool have subsequently signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal and had an offer of €80m rejected by Monaco for France international Thomas Lemar, Coutinho’s representatives are now said to be “extremely anxious” that the Anfield club will force their player to remain on Merseyside against his will. “Liverpool are not respecting the agreement they made,” said a source familiar with negotiations.

Manchester City’s initial £55m offer for Alexis Sanchez has further complicated matters for Barcelona. Arsenal immediately used the money to agree a fee of €95m for Lemar with Monaco and will sign the midfielder today if he agrees personal terms with the London club.

Mbappe has played just one full campaign of senior professional football, delivering 26 goals from 44 appearances as Monaco took the Ligue 1 title away from PSG and reached the semi-final of the Champions League, a competition in which the striker scored six times. Called into the France national squad for the first time in March, the 18-year-old also made his international last season.

The highest profile of a list of extremely talented youngsters recruited for Monaco by former technical director Luis Campos, Mbappe cost the principality club €3m and was on a weekly wage of €34,600. His sale to PSG ensures that Monaco will have raised more money from transfer fees in a single window than any club ever, with Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko all sold to Premier League clubs in the most prominent of the French champions’ earlier sales.