Barcelona Transfer Rumors 2017: Barça Targeting Monaco's Kylian Mbappé
Losing one of the best footballers in the world is never easy. But Barcelona have finally parted ways with Neymar and the Brazilian forward has officially signed with Paris Saint-Germain for a world record €222 million (around £200 million) fee.
It's going to take some time for Barcelona to recover from such a loss, but the good news is that they suddenly have a lot of money to spend this summer. The club will surely use the money to sign Neymar's replacement.
With that money, Barça can bring in several quality footballers to strengthen their squad. However, it looks like the club is interested in pursuing the most intriguing young talent in Europe right now and they may need the bulk of the €222 million to pay his transfer fee.
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According to French news outlet L'Equipe, teenage sensation Kylian Mbappé has informed Monaco that he wants to leave this summer, and Barcelona have made their move. The report says the Catalan giants have already held talks with Mbappé's agent and they are prepared to battle Real Madrid and Manchester City for his signature.
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Monaco has increased the asking price for Mbappé to €200 million (around £180 million), and they were hoping Barça would join the race to sign him. Well, they got their wish.
Barcelona can appease their fans by signing an up-and-coming player who has shown glimpses of world-class potential. However, they also have to understand that signing a relatively untested prospect like Mbappé can be risky.
"Gambling the Neymar millions on a teenager would be a huge risk and the board are under huge pressure not to repeat the story of Luis Figo from 2000. He was the last player they sold against their will and they wasted the fee on Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit who both arrived from Arsenal and flopped," Pete Jenson said in his report for the Daily Mail.
Barcelona have plenty of money in their coffers to spend on Neymar's replacement. But they need to spend it wisely.
