Paris Saint-Germain chief Luis Campos has hinted that the French giants made a “mistake” in signing Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the past.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions have developed a reputation as one of the highest-spending clubs in Europe over the last decade. They broke the world transfer record back in 2017 having paid £190m for Neymar's services to Barcelona. Les Parisiens followed that up with a move for AS Monaco star Mbappe - initially signing the young Frenchman on a loan deal before forking out £159m to acquire his signature on a permanent deal.
That big-spending has so far not worked for PSG with the club having only managed to have reached one Champions League final.
In the meantime, the relationship between the two forwards is far from cordial. The Brazilian was probed on Mbappe over the recent international break but refused to comment before walking out of an interview.
Now, PSG sporting director Luis Campos has appeared to suggest that the club’s decision to splash out on both could have been an error of judgement.
Speaking to the Rothen s’enflamme podcast, he said: “We made the mistake in the past of recruiting two players in the same position.”
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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.”
Whilst the integration of both Neymar and Mbappe appears not to have worked from the viewpoint of European success, it is difficult to argue that each of the players have not been successful personally.
Since arriving at the Parc des Princes, Neymar has scored 111 goals in 155 games in all competitions - 11 of which have come already this season. In the meantime, 23-year-old Mbappe has also been in terrific form since switching to the French capital. He has played a key role in four Ligue 1 title successes with his 181 goals in 226 appearances.
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."
