Ansu Fati, once seen as “the future Messi,” may depart Barcelona this summer, according to rumors.
According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, Man Utd has a “great relationship” with Ansu Fati’s agent. Romano further adds that a couple of years ago Fati was on a transfer target shortlist for Man Utd and that the player is definitely appreciated by the club.
A further report from SPORT indicates that Man Utd has an interest in Ansu Fati and could pursue a move for him in the summer with the club looking to add in attack and Barcelona looking to offload players to acquire funds.
Ansu Fati’s agent is Jorge Mendes who of course has a long history with Man Utd. Mendes played a massive role in Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Man Utd from Sporting CP in 2003. Additionally, the likes of Portuguese players Nani and Anderson joined the club thanks to the efforts of their agent, Jorge Mendes.
While still just 20 years old, the hype of Ansu Fati has been around for a while. Coming through the famous Barcelona academy, La Masia, Ansu Fati made his professional debut for the club at 16 years old in 2019. He was one of the more hyped Barcelona academy products in recent memory before Gavi arrived on the scene.
What has caused Ansu Fati to plateau in his potential comes down a lot to injuries. In the 20/21 season, Fati injured his meniscus in one of his knees which caused him to not even be able to train for 9 months. Last season Fati also dealt with injury issues albeit in shorter spurts as he dealt with a repeated hamstring problem.
Despite being fully fit this season, Ansu Fati has been primarily a bench player this season for Barcelona. With the addition of Raphinha from Leeds United and a resurgence in the play of Ousmane Dembele. Even the likes of midfielders Gavi and Pedri have been shifted over to the left-midfield spot ahead of Ansu Fati who has actually featured as a centre-forward at times this season when coming off the bench.
Could a move really happen for Ansu Fati?
Whilst Barcelona’s finances have improved, they will still likely need to shed some salary and add some money to their transfer budget in order to have a big spending summer to upgrade Xavi’s side. Given his playtime, Ansu Fati could be on his way out if Barcelona gets a significant fee for the player.
Ansu Fati to Man Utd would make a lot of sense if they plan to use him as a centre-forward. With Rashford, Garnacho and Sancho all with the ability to play off the left, he would likely not receive loads of minutes off the wing. Down the middle is a different story as the spot is currently being occupied by either Wout Weghorst or Anthony Martial.
So the bottom line is a move could absolutely make sense and it may be a situation to watch this summer.
