Barcelona forward Ansu Fati did not have the loan spell that he and many others at the club had hoped at Brighton and Hove Albion. Despite initial positivity, Fati struggled for minutes on the South Coast, and it has left him on the outside looking in at Barcelona squad this season.
While Hansi Flick is keen to see him in preseason on the off chance that Fati looks much sharper or useful to him, agent Jorge Mendes has been told to look for exit routes this summer. On Tuesday, the 21-year-old was seen at the Ciutat Esportiva training ground, and Diario AS report that the purpose of his visit was not to get back to work several weeks early, but to meet with Sporting Director Deco and find out their plans for him.
Fati is keen to start preseason with the team and try to convince Flick of his quality. However the club are less sold on this idea, and will likely try to find a loan deal for him, although a permanent exit is not ruled out. With Joao Felix slated to return, and the club actively looking for a winger, his role off the left side of attack is in theory occupied, with Raphinha another option there.
Total agreement reached: Dani Rodríguez will renew with Barça in the coming days. @tjuanmarti
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 27, 2024
Fati’s salary rises year on year, and this season he will earn €6m, meaning there is extra incentive to find a loan if he is not to be a key part of the squad. So far Sevilla are the side that have shown interest in him, but they are willing to take Ansu on loan paying around 30% of his wages, which would not make much of a dent in the Barcelona salary bill.
The most logical solution is another loan deal. Until Fati gets regular game time, it is hard to see him building any sort of match fitness, and Barcelona is one of the harder places to get a run of games, especially if things are not going well. Whether they can find a side to pay a significant chunk of his salary is another matter though.
