Mbappe tried to hijack Lewandowski's Barcelona transfer

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Kylian Mbappe was given wide-ranging powers on signing his new PSG contract in May, and went from star striker to chief transfer negotiator as far as Robert Lewandowski was concerned…

Mbappe and Lewandowski will go head-to-head on Sunday when France meet Poland in the last 16 of the World Cup, and they would have been teammates at club level this season if Mbappe had got his way.

Mbappe spurned Real Madrid to extend his contract at the Parc des Princes, becoming the best-paid athlete in history in the process. At the same time, it was becoming clear Lewandowski's Bayern Munich journey was coming to an end.

READ: Real Madrid open to Mbappe transfer under TWO conditions

The Polish hit-man went public with his desire to join Barcelona when on international duty in June before completing his €50 million transfer in July, but in the intervening period Mbappe tried to turn his head towards Paris.

As confirmed by French daily newspaper le Parisien: "Five days after Kylian Mbappe's extension with PSG, the world champion and Robert Lewandowski were reunited by the American Association for the Fight against AIDS, amfAR, in Cap d'Antibes."

Tactical fit

There, they met "eye-to-eye", as Mbappe tried to persuade Lewandowski of the project at PSG. Lewandowski was seen as the perfect foil for Mbappe, the Pole a natural No.9 while the Frenchman prefers to play off a target man, as he does with Olivier Giroud for France.

READ: Lewandowski calls Messi to join Barcelona

A move to PSG never materialised, of course, and both men have been scoring for fun this season, just not in tandem.

Mbappe, despite acting, against his will, as the furthest forward player at PSG, scored 19 goals and assisted five more from just 20 games before leaving for the World Cup, where he leads the scoring with three.

Lewandowski has been similarly prolific with Barca, scoring 18 goals in 19 games with the Blaugrana, as well as contributing four assists.