Barcelona issue response to Fati sale claims

Cameron Smith

• 5 Jan 2023 13:38 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona have provided an update regarding Ansu Fati's future at the club, revealing that the young forward is not for sale.

The Spanish international, who has seven caps and two goals to his name for his country, has been linked with a departure from his boyhood club with game time hard to come by under head coach Xavi.

In November, Spanish broadcaster Radioestadio Noche reported that Fati's agent, Jorge Mendes, threatened legal action if his client didn't begin to feature more.

READ: Ansu Fati reveals past Real Madrid link

However, Joan Laporta, Barcelona's president, has revealed that the Spaniard is going nowhere. He told Cadena Ser: "Fati isn't for sale."

Furthermore, Laporta added that Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Ousmane Dembele will not be departing the club. He also confirmed that "there will be no movements in the January window" for the Catalan giants.

In addition, Laporta announced that they have begun lookinf for Sergio Busquets's replacement. "Neves is a great player, but these are internal discussions," he said. "We are looking for a replacement for Busi. We have Frenkie, but we want someone else. Xavi has to decide this with Mateu [Alemany] and Jordi [Cruyff]."

READ: Barcelona considering options for Sergio Busquets' replacement

Fati at Barcelona

Fati, 20, broke through at Camp Nou as a fresh-faced 16-year-old, but has suffered multiple injury issues since then, most notably a serious knee injury that kept him sidelined for 10 months during the 2020/21 season.

In total, the youngster has missed 84 games through injury since 2019, which has seen his gametime fluctuate massively. He has played 22 times this season scoring four goals and assisting three. However, only six of those appearances have come as a starter, with the rest coming as a substitute off the bench.