Barcelona Manager Xavi Hernandez leaves door open to Ansu Fati exit

Barcelona Manager Xavi Hernandez has not exactly quashed rumours surrounding a departure for Ansu Fati. The 20-year-old forward has been the subject of plenty of speculation this summer, and Barcelona continue looking for avenues with which they can increase the margin to sign players within their salary limit.

In contrast to the likes of Ferran Torres or Raphinha, Barcelona do not have to pay off the rest of his transfer fee, which means that all of the money raised from a Fati sale would be ‘pure’ profit. That has made him a more attractive sale for Barcelona.

Earlier in the transfer window, his Agent Jorge Mendes told the media that Ansu would not leave the club, but recent reporting suggests that Ansu is now coming round to the idea of a departure – to the right club.

Against Tottenham Hotspur during the Joan Gamper trophy, Ansu was sent on with half an hour to play, and ended up getting the winner after a nice move with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres. After the match, Xavi was asked about his future, and he gave a cryptic answer to Sport.

“We will see, we depend a lot on Fair Play, he is training and playing very well, but there is a market until August 31st.”

Xavi: "Neymar? I cannot advance anything about the names of other teams. We'll see what we can do between now and the end of the month, but I can't advance anything about names."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 8, 2023

Perhaps more decisive will be the terms of the deal. Despite reports that a Premier League side have submitted an offer of €50m for Ansu, whether any side is willing to meet Barcelona’s valuation, and Ansu’s requirements, remains to be seen. Ansu has looked increasingly confident during preseason, which could provide a selection headache for Xavi if he does stick around.