Former La Liga striker opens up on failed Barcelona move: “Abidal called and apologised”

In a recent interview (h/t Diario SPORT), Cedric Bakambu has opened up about his move to Barcelona in 2020 that collapsed at the last minute. He has revealed intricate details about the negotiations and how then-sporting director Eric Abidal called him to apologise.

The event took place in January 2020, when Barcelona were in desperate need of a temporary solution in the attacking department, after losing Luis Suarez through injury. The veteran forward was ruled out for at least three months at a crucial juncture of the campaign.

Barcelona had identified two options at the time – Rodrigo and Bakambu.

“When Barça contacted me, I was not the first option, that must be said. Time passed and at the end of the transfer window, the possibility of the transfer became more and more concrete,” the former Villarreal striker said.

Bakambu revealed Barcelona were interested in a loan deal with a purchase option. He was playing for Beijing Guoan at the time. But the move collapsed when he was already on his way to Spain.

“I took a flight to Spain, but I arrived at my layover and my representative told me that the loan would not be done in the end, so I turned around and rejoined my team,” he said.

On January 27, 2020, the then-sporting director of Barcelona, Eric Abidal, had reportedly contacted Bakambu’s agents. The next morning, his arrival at Barcelona was closed after negotiations. The player was in South Korea at the time, for the group stages of the AFC Champions League.

After the news broke, Bakambu received clearance from Beijing Guoan and subsequently departed for Spain. But his flight included a layover in Hong Kong.

While in Hong Kong, Bakambu received a call from one of his agents, who confirmed his move to Barcelona had collapsed. However, the player said Abidal was kind enough to call him a few days later and apologise for the collapsed transfer.

“Eric Abidal called me, who explained everything to me and apologised for the way things had been done. I was surprised that he called me and I thought it was very elegant of him,” he said.

More than three years after the move to Barcelona had collapsed, Bakambu currently plies his trade for Olympiacos – a team he joined last summer. The forward admitted he is very happy with his life in Greece right now, though his career might have taken a different turn had he joined Barcelona in 2020.