The brand new winner of the Copa del Rey, Barça, is already working towards a treble, with Inter Milan as the next step. It is a journey in which everyone, from the first to the last, is vital. There are players with less prominence who are looking for minutes at the end of the season, either to convince Hansi Flick to keep them or to show off in the final showcase ahead of a move elsewhere.
Opportunity for Ansu Fati
One of the players who has come to the fore in recent weeks at FC Barcelona is Ansu Fati. The young academy player had been relegated to the sidelines, not even making the squad, but in recent weeks he has been given minutes in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Ansu Fati had not played in LaLiga since October 20, when Barcelona faced Sevilla. He had not played in the domestic league since November 10, when Barcelona took on Real Sociedad. Barcelona’s number 10, in his second start, was involved in the play and, despite his lack of rhythm, was intense. He had three shots on goal but was unable to score. However, he did give the impression that he could be useful to the team in this decisive stage of the season.
Ansu did not shy away from one-on-one situations and also linked up well with Héctor Fort, the full-back on his side, as well as Olmo and Lamine. He was substituted after an hour of play to make way for Raphinha. “I think Ansu deserved to play, hence the decision, especially after the game against Celta. I saw that something had to change and we decided to do so. If he plays well today, we’ll all be happy,” said Flick in the minutes before the game against Mallorca to explain his decision.
Barça thinks about the player’s future
Despite his return to the pitch, Barça had already made a decision about Ansu Fati’s future: they don’t count on him. The Catalans want to get rid of the player, but in a good way. He doesn’t count for Barça and the club is considering several options for the end of the season. A permanent departure is currently being considered, although it remains to be seen whether an agreement can be reached between the parties. Otherwise, a renewal and a new loan deal could see Ansu resurrect his career. A contract termination is not ruled out, but the club wants to avoid it.
Suitors in LaLiga
In LaLiga, one of the clubs most interested in the Spanish international’s future is Villarreal. The team led by Marcelino García Toral believes that Ansu could be a quality reinforcement for their attack. However, the ‘Yellow Submarine’ would only be interested in negotiating a simple loan for Ansu. The same is true of Girona, a club that has already tried to sign him in the last two transfer windows. Real Betis is also among the clubs in the domestic competition interested in securing the player’s services.
The latest to join the bidding is Celta, who are said to be very interested. The FC Barcelona winger, who is not in Hansi Flick’s plans and is looking for a new destination to relaunch his career, is on Balaídos’ radar… and has a luxury “ambassador” from the Galician team to convince him: Ilaix Moriba. The main problem for the Galicians is that he earns around €12 million a year at Barça.
Bidding in Portugal for Ansu
According to Fichajes.net, both Porto and Sporting Lisbon have shown serious interest in signing Ansu Fati. In the case of the Dragons, the idea would be to repeat the success they have had with Samu Omorodion, betting on young talents with the potential to relaunch their careers. For their part, the Lisbon side are looking to strengthen their attack ahead of the imminent departure of Viktor Gyökeres.