"There’s a transfer window until the end of the month" - Xavi refuses to rule out Barcelona superstar's sale
Barcelona manager Xavi has not ruled out the sale of youngster Ansu Fati. The Spanish tactician commented on Fati's potential exit during a press conference following his side's 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly.
Fati still has four years left on his current contract with Barcelona but is likely to leave after seeing his game time take a hit over the last two seasons.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are reportedly interested in getting the 20-year-old on board as they prepare for life without Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.
When asked about Fati's potential sale in a press conference, Xavi said (via Barca Universal):
“Ansu Fati? We’ll see. There’s a transfer window until the end of the month.”
Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, who was appointed the PSG boss this summer, reportedly rates Fati highly and has urged the French club's board to move in for him (via AS). The attacker, on the other hand, wants to stay put at Barcelona (via Fabrizio Romano).
Since being promoted to the Barcelona first team during the 2019/20 season, the Spaniard has made 109 appearances across competitions, scoring 29 and assisting 10 goals.
Ansu Fati's father slams Barcelona
Ansu Fati's father Bori Fati hit out at Barcelona earlier this year in March, slamming them for the treatment meted out to the attacker.
He was annoyed by his son's reduced game time under Xavi and stressed that he was the club's No. 10 and deserved more respect.
“It annoys me how they are treating Ansu in terms of minutes, (playing for) one minute, two minutes, three minutes, that’s what annoys me,” Bori Fati told Cadena Cope (via The Hindu).
“I’m not going to ask for or say that he should be starting whatever happens, because all the strikers there are great, they are elite, but we are talking about Ansu Fati. We’re talking about a Spain international, Barcelona’s number 10, a boy who came from La Masia,” he added.
During the same conversation, Bori Fati also claimed that his son wants to stay in Barcelona, having risen through the ranks at the club to become a first-team player.