Josep Maria Bartomeu says Barcelona had an agreement in principle for Vinícius Júnior when he was 17, with the move due to be completed when he turned 18. He also says Real Madrid probably made a better offer, and the forward later chose the sporting case Madrid put in front of him. That is only half the story. Bartomeu also says Kylian Mbappé was discussed, before Barcelona moved on and watched both players become stars elsewhere.

How Barcelona came close to Vinicius

Bartomeu’s account of the Vinícius Júnior deal is the clearest part of the interview. He says Barça spoke to the player’s family and agents, and that there was an agreement in principle. The age detail matters too, because the deal was set to be finalised only when he turned 18.

The present-day numbers make the miss look sharper. Vinicius has 34 appearances, 15 goals and 5 assists this season for Real Madrid. Across all competitions, the article also cites a career total of 127 goals and 100 assists in 372 matches. That is not just a good player Barca let go. It is a forward who has become central at the club that won the race.

Bartomeu’s line on the transfer race is blunt: “Madrid probably made a better offer than Barca,” he told goal.com. The other account in the brief says Barcelona offered more money, but Vinicius was swayed by the sporting project, while Marcelo and Casemiro helped convince him. Those versions do not point in exactly the same direction, but they both end at the same place, which is Madrid.

Why Mbappé made the miss sting more

Mbappé is the harder one to brush off because Barcelona were not just watching from the sidelines. Bartomeu says he spoke to Mbappé’s father several times, but Monaco were asking for very high figures Barça could not pay at the time. He added that PSG pressed hard on Monaco and that he believed Mbappé preferred to join a French club.

There was also a fallback plan. Barcelona were negotiating with Ousmane Dembélé, who Bartomeu says was the coaches’ preferred player. That detail makes the Mbappé story feel more like a decision tree than a single collapsed bid, but it does not soften the overall picture. Barça had a path to one elite forward, explored another, and ended up with neither.

The current output from both players underlines the scale of what Barcelona missed. Mbappé has 39 goals and 5 assists in 39 appearances this season for Real Madrid. Vinicius has 15 goals and 5 assists in 34 appearances. Even if you strip out the hindsight, those are the sort of returns that make any near-miss look expensive.

The one fair caveat is the finance argument around Mbappé. Bartomeu says Barcelona could not pay Monaco’s asking price, but the brief also includes his later claim that Barça were the club in the world that earned the most money and were in a very good financial situation. That tension does not erase the missed deal, but it does mean the affordability issue is not as clean as the transfer regret narrative suggests.

Barcelona did not sign Vinicius or Mbappé. What they did sign, or nearly sign, is now easy to measure against what arrived at Real Madrid instead, and the gap is obvious enough in the figures Bartomeu’s interview has reopened.

FAQ

Did Barcelona really have a chance to sign Vinicius Junior?

Bartomeu says [Barcelona](club:barcelona) reached an agreement in principle for [Vinícius Júnior](player:vinicius-junior) when he was 17, with the deal due to be finalised when he turned 18. He also said Madrid probably made a better offer, and Vinicius later chose the sporting route that took him to [Real Madrid](club:real-madrid).

Why did Barcelona miss out on Kylian Mbappé?

Bartomeu says [Barcelona](club:barcelona) spoke to Mbappé’s father several times, but Monaco were asking for very high figures Barça could not pay at the time. He also said PSG pressed hard on Monaco and that Mbappé himself preferred to join a French club.

How good have Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé been at Real Madrid?

[Vinícius Júnior](player:vinicius-junior) has 15 goals and 5 assists in 34 appearances this season for [Real Madrid](club:real-madrid). [Kylian Mbappé](player:kylian-mbappe) has 39 goals and 5 assists in 39 appearances, which shows why Barcelona’s near-misses look so costly in hindsight.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →