Surprise PL club interested in shock move for Barcelona star Ansu Fati - Reports
Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly considering a shock move to sign Barcelona's Ansu Fati.
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t the Express), Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla are two major names linked with a loan move for Fati. Chelsea and Liverpool have also been named as potential suitors for the 20-year-old, who has four years left in his contract at the Camp Nou.
However, Brighton seem to be the latest Premier League to enter the running for the Barcelona winger. According to journalist Martinez Ferran (h/t @BrightonBubble on X), the Seagulls are making a big effort to sign him.
Brighton sold Leandro Trossard in January to Arsenal but swiftly replaced him in the starting XI with Japanese sensation Kaoru Mitoma. However, apart from Simon Adingra and Solly March, Brighton don't have a lot of options down the flanks.
Fati seems to be struggling for regular playing time under Xavi Hernandez even after Ousmane Dembele's €50 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. The emergence of Lamine Yamal (16) is a threat to his position down the flanks in Barcelona's XI.
Fati has featured in all three of Barca's league games this term, but all of those appearances have come off the bench late in the second half. Apart from Yamal and Fati, Xavi has Ez Abde, Ferran Torres and Raphinha to choose from down the flanks.
Xavi Hernandez confident Ansu Fati is a part of Barcelona's future
According to BarcaUniversal, some pundits have opined that Real Madrid should make a move for Ansu Fati if he's available.
A reporter relayed this information to Xavi Hernandez ahead of his team's 2-0 La Liga win against Cadiz on August 20, to which the Spaniard replied, via Mundo Deportivo:
"This is a joke, isn’t it? I have already been very blunt about Ansu. Debates are being generated that make no sense. Ansu is an important player and is part of the club’s heritage, now and in the future."
Fati signed a six-year deal in October 2021 with Barca that has a €1 billion release clause. It's evident that the club rate him highly, but it seems he hasn't done enough to convince Xavi to hand him regular starts.
Twelve of Fati's last 13 La Liga appearances have seen him come on as a substitute. The Spanish winger has registered 29 goals and 10 assists in 112 games across competitions for Barca's senior team since joining La Masia in 2012.