Barcelona reached deadline day agreement with Monaco for Kylian Mbappé
Real Madrid also tried to pip PSG to the striker's signature on the final day of the transfer window, according to L'Équipe's television channel.
Kylian Mbappé might have ended up playing in LaLiga rather than joining PSG on loan on 31st August, according to a new documentary produced by L'Équipe's television channel, L'Équipe 21. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona both made late attempts to sign the teenager as the transfer deadline loomed.
PSG's cash flow problems
Meeting Neymar's buy-out fee meant that PSG fell short in meeting FIFA's Financial Fair Play regulations. On 1st September, UEFA announced that they would be opening an investigation into the French club's transfer activities and in turn, that pulled the plug on Ángel Di María's proposed move to Barcelona, which left an 80 million euro hole on PSG's balance sheet.
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Conscious that PSG's cash flow problems could stop the Mbappé operation from going through, Monaco looked for an alternative plan and Barcelona's offer was the most appealing. L'Équipe report that Barça reached an agreement for Mbappé, for whom they willing to spend an unspecified "vast fee". They add that Arda Turan was included as a makeweight in the deal but the Turkish midfielder ended staying put when the operation fell through.
Barcelona had plan in place to sign Mbappé
The documentary explains that Barça had arranged for Mbappé to be flown to Paris-Le Bourget to sign the agreement - even though the Catalans had already brought in Ousmane Dembélé a few days earlier. In the end, PSG found a formula which convinced Monaco to accpet a loan with the option to buy the player for 180 million euros.