Luis Campos, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, has intimated that signing Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the past was a “mistake.”
Over the last decade, the defending Ligue 1 champions have earned a reputation as one of Europe’s most expensive clubs.
They smashed the world transfer record when they paid £190 million for Neymar’s services to Barcelona in 2017.
Les Parisiens then made a move for AS Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe, initially signing him on loan then paying £159 million to secure his contract on a permanent deal.
PSG’s massive expenditure has thus far failed to pay off, with the club only reaching one Champions League final.
Meanwhile, the two forwards’ relationship is far from harmonious. During the last international break, the Brazilian was questioned about Mbappe, but he refused to answer before walking out of an interview.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos has now appeared to hint that the club’s choice to spend much on both could have been a mistake.
Speaking to the Rothen s’enflamme podcast, he said: “We made the mistake in the past of recruiting two players in the same position.”
He continued: “The transfer window is not good because we lack players in key positions and because we have an overlap of players in other positions.”
While the integration of both Neymar and Mbappe looks to have failed in terms of European achievement, it is tough to claim that each of the players has not achieved personal success.
Neymar has 111 goals in 155 games in all competitions since joining at the Parc des Princes, 11 of which have come this season. Meanwhile, Mbappe, 23, has been in fantastic form since moving to the French city. With 181 goals in 226 matches, he was instrumental in four Ligue 1 titles.
There was of course major doubt over his long-term future with the club with his previous contract at PSG set to expire in the summer.
Real Madrid were long-term admirers of the French forward, with current club president Fiorentino Perez hitting out at the striker for performing a u-turn in penning a new three-year deal with his current employers.
He said: “This is not the Mbappé I wanted to bring, he is another one, who must have changed his dream. He changes, he is offered other things, he is pressured and he is already another footballer.
“There is no one at Real Madrid above the club. He is a great player, he can win more than others, but it is a collective sport and we have values and principles that we cannot change.”
