Barcelona sporting director Deco says Kylian Mbappe’s arrival made Real Madrid ‘imbalanced’

Barcelona sporting director Deco believes the signing of Kylian Mbappe has made Real Madrid’s team “imbalanced”.

Barca got the better of their age-old rivals this season by beating them four times, including in a feisty Copa del Rey final in Seville.

And having also wrapped up the Liga title, Deco suggested Madrid have to solve the conundrum of Mbappe and what effect it has had on the players around him.

The France striker has performed well individually, scoring 41 goals in 55 games, but the likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham have had relatively poor seasons.

Mischievous Deco questions Mbappe signing

Deco, speaking to RAC1, said: “We knew he [Mbappe] was a great player, but this generates imbalances in the team.

“I think Madrid is looking for their squad balance. When you don’t win it’s normal that you want to look for balance and what you have to improve. We know that we will have to improve to continue competing. We are excited because next season will be more difficult.”

🚨 Barça director Deco on wingers: “We like Luis Diaz, we like Rashford… and we like other wingers too”.

“We can’t talk about players under contract with other clubs”. pic.twitter.com/ocYyuLTY1v

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2025

We like Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford – Deco

Barca are not expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer and Deco made it clear the club’s priority was renewing the contracts of their key players, and in particular that of Lamine Yamal, but he did admit to liking a couple of players that ply their trade in the Premier League.

“We like Luis [Diaz] and we like [Marcus] Rashford, but we can’t talk about players who have a contract,” he said. “For me, it is much more important to improve what we have here.”

Deco also suggested reigniting a move for Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams could be off the table after he stalled on a move to Catalonia last summer.

He added: “He’s a great player, as we saw in the Euros, but this year he has gone down a little. But we have to look at the balance of the team. We are focused on what we have here. We have renewed Pedri, Gavi, [Ronald] Araujo, now Raphinha. 

“If we can improve, we will see what we can do. Last season we had two players who could improve the team, one was Nico and the other [Dani] Olmo. 

“Dani, from the first moment showed that he wanted to come to Barça, Nico, no, that’s why the thing took longer and in the end he didn’t come.”

Yamal contract ‘on the right track’

Yamal’s current deal expires next summer and Barca president Joan Laporta has already said the club are preparing to give him “special treatment” given the 17-year-old’s impact.

“It [the new contract] is on the right track,” said Deco. “He is a player who has a maturity that is not normal. but we can never forget that he is 17 years old. 

“He has to live a little at the age he is, no matter how hard it is and he has to be happy. A player at this level has to be happy. For me it is not an issue that he is 17, for me football has to be fair and to have a contract that corresponds to it. It’s not a matter of being the highest paid, the important thing is that he is happy. For me, there is no one better for him than Barca.”

Counting the days to see you lead the team at Spotify Camp Nou 🏟️😍 pic.twitter.com/CHcLO77VeE

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 21, 2025

Two years is right for Flick

Barca last night confirmed coach Hansi Flick had signed a new contract that keeps him at the club until 2027. Deco hopes he will stay longer but says a deal of two more years is right at the moment.

“Barça is the best club in the world, but it is very intense,” said the former Portugal midfielder. “The plans have to be done long, but you have to go little by little. Two years is a good time, but time will tell.”

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