'Not good news' - Barcelona president Joan Laporta reacts to Kylian Mbappe's blockbuster Real Madrid move and aims dig at bitter rivals' transfer strategy

The French superstar finally completed his much-anticipated move to Real Madrid on Monday after penning a five-year deal with the reigning European and Spanish champions. His addition to the squad will undoubtedly be a major boost to Los Blancos which already boast of having a few superstars in Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.

Barcelona were second-best to Real Madrid in the 2023-24 campaign as a Bellingham special helped the capital club to complete a league double over their arch-rivals. Moreover, the Blaugranas ended 10 points behind the champions in La Liga and things could potentially get worse for the Catalan club in the next edition with their rivals signing one of the best players in the world and a future Ballon d'Or contender.

“As a Culé, it's not good news," Laporta admitted in an interview on Barca One.

"We wanted to win the Champions League, go to the final in basketball, but regarding Mbappé I like our sporting philosophy of forming a team with local players. I respect what the rivals do, but I'll stick with our philosophy.”

It had been a tough last week for Culers as Real Madrid not only lifted the Champions League for a record-extending 15th time, but their basketball team also beat Barcelona 95-92 to reach the ACB League final.

Barcelona would hope to start a new era of dominance under the guidance of their new manager Hansi Flick. The German has a tough task at hand and hence has already taken to work to chalk out a robust blueprint before the squad convenes again for pre-season. They will play their first friendly against Manchester City on July 30 in the United States followed by two more against Real Madrid and AC Milan on August 3 & 6 respectively.