Barcelona took Xavier Mbuyamba from second division Dutch side MVV Maastricht in August 2019.
The centre-back has been part of the La Liga giants’ U19 side and was also given an opportunity to train with their first team earlier in the season.
Prior to joining the Catalan club, Chelsea were believed to be interested in the 18-year-old and he even underwent a trial with the Blues.
“At Chelsea, I started the week in under-18s and trained with under-23 at the end of the week. The higher the level, the better I got,” Mbuyamba told VTBL.
Carlos Barros, the teenager’s agent revealed last May that the Premier League side had the “best credentials” to sign his client. The player has also admitted he would have been pleased to join the west London club.
Unfortunately for Mbuyamba, a transfer to Stamford Bridge never materialised because Frank Lampard’s side were banned from registering new players last summer.
“I would [have] actually gone to Chelsea, because they were the first to come. But because of a transfer ban they could not offer a contract. Then the choice finally fell on FC Barcelona,” he explained.
It looks like Mbuyamba has put the Chelsea episode behind him and is enjoying life at Barcelona. He has set his sights on making his way into the Blaugrana’s first team in the future.
“I have a four-year contract and I like life here. Living on my own is going great. I’m going to do everything I can to succeed here,” the youngster added.
“Of course, I don’t expect to be there [first team] next year. I will be with the Barcelona B team first and I want to have a good season there and do a lot training with the first team. I hope to be able to join the [first team] selection within two years.”
