Barcelona handed Ansu Fati transfer ultimatum

Robin Bairner

• 27 Oct 2022 14:37 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona have been told by Ansu Fati’s agent Jorge Mendes that he could consider leaving the club, according to a report in Spain.

The 19-year-old sensation has found his minutes limited this season and he is unhappy at having been forced to play a role as a backup figure in the squad.

Despite playing only 512 minutes in La Liga and Champions League combined, he has three goals and three assists – or a goal contribution on average once every 85 minutes.

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According to Alfredo Martinez, Mendes has approached the Barca board and told them that his player is not happy with the situation and will assess his options in the summer should the situation not change.

Why is Ansu not starting for Barcelona?

Ansu has been touted as the Lionel Messi of his generation, having come through Barcelona’s La Masia academy and having shown the same formidable attacking attributes as the Argentina star.

However, he spent the vast majority of last season on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, which limited him to just a handful of appearances. Indeed, he also spent the majority of the previous campaign out with a knee problem. These issues have limited him to 25 outings in total in the last two seasons.

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With Ansu’s fitness unpredictable, Barcelona took it upon themselves to strengthen offensively. Ferran Torres joined last January, Raphinha arrived from Leeds on a big-money deal in the summer while Ousmane Dembele was ultimately retained after winning a new contract.

There is vast competition out wide for Barcelona and Ansu suddenly finds himself down the pecking order behind a string of players who are regarded as big investments by the club. As such, the pressure is on Xavi to pick these players.

Barcelona, meanwhile, know that Ansu’s future at the club is secure. He has a release clause worth €1 billion that will not be matched while his contract runs until 2027, giving them the assurance that he is theirs for the foreseeable future.