- 21 hours ago
Ansu Fati: Why trouble could be brewing for Barca over young star
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
- 5 min read
Barcelona are sweating over the future of teenage sensation Ansu Fati after his father Bori Fati and agent Jorge Mendes disputed the length of his current contract with the club.
Fati burst on to the scene in the 2019/20 campaign, making his debut for the club off the bench in a 5-2 victory over Real Betis.
| Stat | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 24 | 7 |
| Goals | 7 | 4 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 |
| Shots P90 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Dribbles P90 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Final Third Passes P90 | 24.2 | 22.9 |
At 16 years and 298 days, he became the second youngest player ever to feature for the Barcelona first-time, behind Vicenc Martinez who debuted 18 days younger in 1941.
He would subsequently become the youngest player to play in the Champions League for Barcelona
Then, he became the youngest player to feature for Spain since before the second World War.
Fati is widely regarded to be the future of Barcelona and perhaps the heir to Lionel Messi as the Blaugrana’s attacking talisman.
In December of 2019, he signed a new professional contract with Barca, increasing his release clause to £357m [€400m] from the previous figure of £89m [€100m].
Ansu Fati – Snapshot:
Barcelona are of the opinion that that was a two-year deal with the option of a further two years on potentially increased wages.
However, Mundo Deportivo reports that Fati’s father and Mendes believe it was only a two-year deal.
They want the better terms to come via an entirely new contract.
The Camp Nou side believed they had four years before the contract ran out, but rather than getting involved in a dispute with the player and his representatives, talks are set to commence as a second priority to Lionel Messi.
The Argentine expressed his wish to leave the club in the summer only to agree to stay for at least one more year. As of 1 January, he will be free to talk to other teams about a potential free transfer in the summer of 2021.
The Spanish outlet reported in the summer that Man Utd had a bid of €150m for Fati rejected by Barcelona.
Butm as of yet that hasn’t been confirmed by either club.
