Ansu Fati insists that he plans to stay at La Liga giants Barcelona ‘for a long time’ despite interest from Premier League trio Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, speaking to Jugones.
The Kings of Catalonia were never going to hand Lionel Messi’s iconic ‘number ten’ shirt to just any old player. And Ansu Fati, a La Masia graduate of frankly obscene potential, felt, in many ways, like a fitting recipient.
After becoming Barcelona’s youngest ever La Liga goalscorer at the age of just 16 back in 2019, the records continued to tumble at an alarming rate. The youngest player ever to score at the Camp Nou. Barcelona’s youngest ever Champions League debutant. The youngest ever Champions League goalscorer. The youngest ever goalscorer for the Spanish national team. We could go on.
But while Ansu Fati shares a fair few similarities with a baby-faced Messi, one thing he appears to lack is that lucky streak. Since the beginning of 2020/21, the 20-year-old whizzkid has missed over 80 games due to a variety of fitness issues.
He’s started fewer league games this season (eight) than he did during his breakthrough campaign back in 2019/20.
Could Ansu Fati leave Barcelona for the Champions League?
Fabrizio Romano believes that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are testing the waters; The Gunners reportedly holding initial talks with Fati’s representatives. A rumoured £90 million price-tag, however, feels like a sizeable obstacle (Sport). Especially considering that, even before his 21st birthday, Fati is already struggling to shake that ‘injury prone’ tag.
The player himself, meanwhile, is focusing on one thing and one thing only.
“I am under contract with Barca until 2027,” Fati explains. “And I hope to stay here for a long time.”
Fati has six goals and three assists this season, despite finding game time hard to come by under Xavi Hernandez.
“Me and Ansu talk a lot,” Barcelona legend Dani Alves told Diario Sport. “He has great potential and he is a spectacular boy. He has a huge heart. Leo (Messi) was also injured a lot at the beginning, and found the answer to his setbacks. When Ansu does it, he will be able to have more continuity.
“Ansu was born to score goals. He reminds me a lot of Samuel Eto’o. He is a machine for destroying defences. I think he can also define an era, a special history within Barca.”
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