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Reports coming out of Spain and England claim that Barcelona could sell Ansu Fati and Arsenal are the frontrunners for the 20-year-old’s signature.
THE LOWDOWN: HIGHLY-RATED YOUNGSTER
After a stellar debut and first full seasons, Barcelona fans and followers of European football the world over believed that the Catalan giants had found Lionel Messi’s heir. The mercurial Argentine himself assisted Fati’s first senior goal for Barcelona like Ronaldinho did for him all those years and gave the Guinea-Bissau-born Spaniard his seal of approval.
However, an injury suffered in 2020 against Getafe has derailed the youngster’s career as his sharpness has declined by a lot. He is now struggling to make an impact in games and the heavy burden of Messi’s number 10 shirt which he inherited when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner left for Paris Saint-Germain seems also to be weighing him down.
Barcelona continues to count on him regardless, as he is one of a group of seven that president Joan Laporta had reportedly slapped a “not for sale” tag on after he assumed office and completed his first transfer window.
THE LATEST: BARCA CHANGE STANCE
That decision seems to have been rescinded, per reports, and the club have their worsening financial woes to blame.
Barcelona continue to nurse a bulging wage budget despite their huge debt and is running out of economic levers to salvage the situation. The club owe north of £900 million to several clubs for unpaid transfers as well as other business dealings. La Liga’s financial fair play rules are also stiff and forcing them to consider their options.
This prevented them from carrying out any business in the January transfer window. It also almost kept them from registering their players with La Liga, as they had to take to the courts to seek an injunction to register Gavi as a first-team player following the renewal of the 19-year-old’s contract at the club.
It has now become necessary to sell some of their most prized personnel and Ansu Fati could be the first to go, per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
THE VERDICT: NOT NEEDED
Several teams have set their sights on Fati including German giants Bayern Munich. However, Arsenal are reported to be in the lead for his signature should Barcelona eventually decide to let go of the player.
Fati needs no introduction about his talent but his injury record makes him too much of a gamble to go with. There is also the added fact that he would want a first-team berth at Arsenal, which might not be afforded to him, given the options at hand.
Arsenal do need cover in attack but it’s safe to say Fati is not the answer to the questions asked upfront.
