Xavi REFUSING to let Barcelona star leave without buy-back clause

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 11 Jun 2023 21:39 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona manager Xavi does not want the club to sell Ansu Fati without the option to re-sign him down the line.

While Ansu is keen to stay at Barca, there is some doubt over his future with the La Liga champions as Xavi cannot guarantee him substantial minutes.

As such, the 20-year-old forward – who made 24 of his 36 LaLiga appearances this season from the bench – has been earmarked as a player the Bluagrana could potentially offload in order to raise funds this summer, amid their continued financial difficulties.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, however, Xavi wants a buy-back clause inserted in any deal for Ansu – who came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and made his first-team debut at the age of 16.

Tottenham have been linked with a move for the Spain international in recent months – as have Wolves, with talk of a possible swap deal which would see Ruben Neves head in the other direction.

Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates Ansu – who has scored 29 goals in 109 games for Barca at €31.9m.

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Will Ansu be among a mass Barca exodus?

Ansu – who still has four years left to run on his contract – is said to be one of three players so far who Barcelona are actively looking to sell during the upcoming transfer window – along with Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres.

Kessie only joined Barca last summer but has made just 16 starts in all competitions – while Torres had to largely make do with substitute cameos in 2022/23.

It looks set to be another challenging summer for the Catalan giants, who will have to sell players before they can register any new signings.