Pep Guardiola has rejected a chance to sign Ansu Fati after Jorge Mendes offered the forward to Manchester City as he puts pressure on Barcelona, according to El Nacional.
Mendes has proposed potential deals to several of Europe’s big-hitters to try and establish interest in the 18-year-old sensation. Manchester City are one of the clubs the super-agent contacted, believing Fati would be an instant hit under Guardiola.
But Guardiola has told Citizens Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain not to hold any talks with Mendes over bringing Fati to the Etihad Stadium. The Sky Blues boss explicitly expressed he does not want to harm Barcelona, delighting Blaugrana President Joan Laporta.
Laporta is very upset with Mendes for attempting to secure a backdoor exit from the Camp Nou for his client. The renowned representative is also striving to build interest in Fati to strongarm Barcelona in negotiations over a new contract.
Mendes wants to scare the Catalan outfit into presenting more substantial terms and agree an extension sooner rather than later. Ideally, he wants terms signed before the Spain international returns from his knee injury, with his rehabilitation slower than hoped.
Laporta also wants to extend the £73k-a-week star’s time at the Camp Nou and will hold fresh talks soon. But the Barcelona chief does not want to present terms in the region Mendes hopes to secure – hence the deal-maker’s attempt to entice Manchester City.
Fati has been out since damaging his meniscus last November and needing multiple operations to right the issue. The four-cap winger returned to training last month and will look to pick up where he left off. He struck five goals and four assists in 10 games last term.
Why Manchester City rue Guardiola turning down Fati offer?
Barcelona would have been extremely loath to lose Fati, who has one-year on his contract, had Guardiola accepted Mendes’ offer to bring him to Manchester City. The La Liga giants rejected a €150m (£128m) bid from Manchester United last year, per Mundo Deportivo.
Fati has been a sensation since first breaking through from La Masia in 2019 and becoming an integral first-team cog. He boasts 13 goals and five assists in 43 senior appearances in all competitions, of which he has started 23.
Former Blaugrana boss Ernesto Valverde claimed it is ‘not normal’, via Goal, for a player to make an instant impact like the forward had. A term Spain coach Luis Enrique also stated last year, via Reuters, after becoming the country’s youngest ever goalscorer.
“It’s not normal for him to have this spark and self-confidence at this age. But we’ll try to manage that, so he can help the team as much as possible, just as he did today,” he said.
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