Ansu Fati ‘wants to stay’ at La Liga champions Barcelona despite summer interest from Premier League giants Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Wolves.
So says Joan Laporta; the Barca president speaking for the first time since Xavi’s Blaugrana side ended their three-year wait for a La Liga title with a 4-2 win away from home at Catalan neighbours Espanyol over the weekend.
Ansu Fati is one of a number of stars facing an uncertain future at a Barcelona side under pressure to raise nearly £200 million via player sales this summer.
Is Ansu Fati staying at Barcelona despite Premier League interest?
Super-agent Jorge Mendes has reportedly offered the silky Spain international the chance to join Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ruben Neves would likely go in the other direction.
According to Give Me Sport’s Dean Jones, meanwhile, Newcastle are exploring a potential loan deal for a man who shattered records at a remarkable rate when exploding onto the scene as a baby-faced 16-year-old.
Fabrizio Romano believes that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are testing the waters too; The Gunners reportedly holding initial talks with the £60 million-rated Fati’s representatives.
But, after the 20-year-old’s father seemed to suggest that Fati had little interest in walking away from the Camp Nou, Laporta struck a similar tone when asked about a La Masia graduate who inherited Lionel Messi’s iconic number ten shirt when the Argentine superstar left for Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s a shirt he could lose again if Messi returns to his old stomping ground.
‘He wants to stay’
“Ansu Fati is a player we want at the club,” Laporta explains. “And he wants to stay at Barca, too.
After a frustrating start to another injury-hit season, the Guinea-born 20-year-old has found game time easier to come by in recent months.
“Now he is coming on more. He is a man we count on. It is the coaching staff who will have to decide what happens with Ansu next season. He is a Barca player,” Laporta adds, via TV3.
“We love him. He is a player of high quality and integrated (into our squad). I know he wants to succeed at Barca.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Barcelona’s high-profile financial issues mean speculation over long-term Manchester United Frenkie de Jong is likely to return with a vengeance over the summer months.
Former Leeds talisman Raphinha, however, has dismissed talk regarding a potential return to England.
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