Barcelona have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season with very few sour notes to go with it. However the lack of development with Ansu Fati is one area of concern for the Blaugrana.
The 21-year-old returned to his club after a disappointing loan spell with Brighton and Hove Albion, motivated and keen to give his best, but his preseason was ended by a foot injury that kept him out for the best part of two months. Since, he has seen 132 minutes of game time, with just one start included, and no goal contributions.
Last week it was reported that Barcelona had told agent Jorge Mendes that he would be allowed to leave on loan in January for more game time, but now Sport have revealed more details of the situation. Ansu will ultimately make the call on what happens to him this season, but Barcelona explained that he had had the same opportunities as all of their other players, and that the chances are, his lack of minutes would continue if he were to stay. The Blaugrana will not be forcing Hansi Flick’s hand.
For his part, Mendes has started working on potential loan destinations. Sevilla have enquired about Fati for a second time, having made it clear that they are interested in a loan move in the summer. Manager Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta worked with Fati in the academy at Barcelona, and they will be without winger Chidera Ejuke for several months after a ligament injury.
One of the reasons a deal in the summer did not happen was Sevilla’s financial situation: Los Nervionenses were only able to cover around 30% of his wages. Unless a better offer comes in, the Blaugrana will be increasingly tempted to take it.