“It was the subject of our conversations” - Barcelona superstar admits he considered joining Kylian Mbappe at PSG

Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski has explained how close he was to joining Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Polish frontman is heavily expected to be the Frenchman's opponent in La Liga next season.

Mbappe, 25, is headed for Real Madrid when his contract with the Parisians expires this summer. He could have been playing alongside Lewandowski, 35, if the prolific Pole opted to head to the Parc des Princes in the summer of 2022. The veteran striker was linked with the Ligue 1 giants after he decided to leave Bayern Munich.

Barcelona won the race to sign Lewandowski in a €45 million deal and he's been a mainstay in Xavi's side since. He's bagged 57 goals and 17 assists in 91 games across competitions.

Lewandowski admitted that he held talks with Mbappe about a potential PSG move and feels both would have excelled together. He told Le Parisien (via Get Football News Spain):

"It was the subject of our conversations of course. He’s 11 years younger than me, so he has his whole life ahead of him. I don’t know if one day I’ll play with him but it would be something special: easy for him and easy for me too."

Kylian Mbappe is regarded as one of, if not, Europe's best attackers, having lit up the Parc des Princes for six years. He's the Parisians' all-time top scorer with 255 goals and 108 assists in 305 games.

However, the Frenchman prefers to play on the left flank and wanted PSG to sign an elite center-forward. This is why he reportedly met Lewandowski in Cannas in 2022 and tried persuading him to move to the French capital.

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Xavi honestly explained why Barcelona were unable to sign PSG's Kylian Mbappe

Xavi poured cold water on Barcelona's chances of a big-money signing.

Kylian Mbappe looks to be joining Madrid this summer and will become a rival of Barcelona in the process. He'll become the latest blockbuster name to enter the El Clasico rivalry following the likes of Jude Bellingham and Lewandowski.

Barca were touted as candidates to sign Mbappe but their economic situation made Camp Nou an unlikely destination. Xavi confirmed this when asked about potentially signing the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner or Manchester City's Erling Haaland (via GOAL):

"Haaland or Mbappe? We can’t think of Haaland or Mbappe to join Barca now. We can’t afford these players, unfortunately. I’m happy with the players I have. We need to reach our best level as at this club we need to be always at top level."

Kylian Mbappe is set to move to Madrid on a free transfer as his contract will expire but he's still an expensive acquisition. Reports claim the Ligue 1 top scorer has been given a five-year contract and will earn €15 million per year and a €150 million signing-on bonus.