Ansu Fati is starring at the La Liga champions but he could have joined Premier League outfit West Ham United instead.
Ansu Fati is certainly making a name for himself at Barcelona right now but it could have been oh so different had the 16-year-old superstar decided to swap the Camp Nou for West Ham United, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
If Fati felt the pressure after becoming the youngest player to represent the La Liga champions since 1941, he certainly hasn’t shown it. No one outside of Catalonia had heard of the Bissau-born winger a month ago but, after scoring twice in his first three games in the Barca first-team while inspiring a 5-2 thrashing of La Liga giants Valencia, the most exciting La Masia graduate in years is rapidly becoming a household name.
But, according to Mundo Deportivo, those at the London Stadium have been aware of his vast potential for a while.
The report claims that The Hammers held negotiations with Fati’s family but they decided, understandably, that Barcelona wouldn’t be a bad place for the fleet-footed forward to receive his footballing education.
And, after making a staggering start to life as a professional footballer, Fati has apparently been rewarded with a new contract until 2022, complete with an £88 million release clause.
Interestingly, West Ham were also interested in signing a little-known forward by the name of Joao Felix in 2018, according to Sky, long before the ‘new Kaka’ established himself at Benfica and joined Atletico Madrid in one of the most expensive deals in football history.
Clearly, West Ham have their finger on the pulse when it comes to unearthing some of Europe’s biggest teenage talents. Snapping them up, however, is a whole different ball game.
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