Ansu Fati open to leaving Barcelona due to limited opportunities

Earlier this pre-season we heard that a mysterious Premier League team were ready to launch a €50 million deal for Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. There were two problems with that reported offer, Fati is worth considerably more than €50 million and the 20-year-old had no desire to leave Barcelona.

According to a report in AS, that’s now changed. Fati is open to leaving Spain if an attractive proposal arrives, and plenty of offers are expected to arrive for a player who was once considered one of the most exciting talents in world football.

According to the report, Fati now appreciates that for the sake of his career and footballing progression, it’s best to move away from Camp Nou.

Why has Fati changed his mind about his Barcelona future?

Despite having a productive pre-season where he looked like one of the more dangerous players with the La Liga champions, Fati was left on the bench in favour of Raphinha for the season opener in Getafe, and when Xavi wanted to change the game he introduced Abde and then Lamine Yamal.

With Barca looking to bring in more forward options before the transfer window closes, Fati understands that his opportunities may be limited, despite Ousmane Dembele moving on to PSG. Both Deco and Xavi have been non-committal when asked about Fati’s future, with them both referencing his contract but alluding to the fact that there’s a long way to go in the transfer window.

Fati is slowly regaining his form having been out of football for almost a year with a devastating injury. At 20 years old, there is reason to believe his best years are ahead of him, but to truly regain that form and fitness, he’ll need to play regular first-team football…more than just a 20-minutes here and there.

Athletico Madrid had been linked to the player but AS reported that the two clubs are not in contact and there is little evidence of any interest from the Madrid club.

Fati is sure to draw interest from all over Europe based on his history, talent and age. But it’s also worth mentioning that Barcelona are not desperate for him to leave, and this move will only happen if all parties are happy. Fati will want to move to a club who are near the top of their league and playing regular European football and Barcelona will want a good fee for the talented youngster.

Personally, I still believe letting Fati go would be a big mistake.