Former Barcelona director Javier Bordas has revealed that the LaLiga giants passed on the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe from Monaco in 2017.

In a wide-ranging interview with Mundo Deportivo, Bordas said the Catalan club had considered signing the France international as a replacement for Neymar, who had joined Paris Saint-Germain that year for the still world record transfer fee of €222million ($262m).

However, Barcelona's technical director at the time, Roberto Fernandez, opted instead to sign Ousmane Dembele on the grounds that Mbappe played too centrally to suit club's playing style.

“When we were to sign Dembele, Minguella [agent Josep Maria Minguella] called me to tell us Mbappe was available," Bordas said.

"I told Josep Maria Bartomeu and he said he would take a look at him. 

“I called Mbappe’s father and he said his sone wasn't going to go to Real Madrid because Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were there, and instead he was open to joining Barca because Neymar had left.

“Monaco's president preferred that he signed for Barcelona so as not to strength PSG, a direct rival. And the deal could have been completed for €100m ($118m).

“Robert preferred Dembele and Pep Segura [Barcelona's then General Manager] supported him. The explanation was that Mbappe plays for himself and Dembele plays for the team, and since a winger like Ney had left, Robert preferred a winger more than a finisher.”