Ansu Fati

Manchester United could open a new Barça market front after their bid to sign Frenkie de Jong failed last summer.

The English club is extremely interested in acquiring the services of Ansu Fati for next season as long as the Blaugrana opens the door to negotiate and the player accepts a change of scenery to gain prominence after a year in which he has not taken off at Camp Nou.

United’s interest is already on the table and Barça, for now, do not even want to listen but the next few months could be decisive for what could be one of the operations of the summer.

United need to sign a top striker for their next sporting project. It is one of their priorities and the market offers few options and all of them are very expensive. In England there has been speculation about several names such as Vlahovic, at Juventus, but the truth is that the English club would like to explore the Ansu option, taking advantage of the fact that at Barça he has been losing out on minutes and is no longer an undisputed starter.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, with very good relations in Manchester, is fully aware of the movements and Barça are also clear that there may be speculation about Ansu’s future in the coming months.

Ansu was the great jewel of the youth academy and one of the great pillars on which to build the Barça of the future. That is why Barça renewed him last October until 2027 with a release clause of 1,000 million euros and gave him the number 10 shirt after Messi’s departure. The Spanish international had broken all records for his age and was undoubtedly the club’s big attacking gamble to try to redress the sporting crisis.

Barça have always shown full confidence in Ansu despite the fact that his performance has been decreasing due to his physical problems. First with his knee and then with his leg muscles. The player is fully recovered, but it is clear that he has not earned his place in the starting line-up this season.

Xavi has pampered him so that he could calmly recover his form and feeling, but the reality is that he has only played seven games as a starter in La Liga in which he has scored three goals. The situation does not please the player and his entourage, who were hoping for many more minutes to get into full competition rhythm, although for now Lewandowski, Raphinha and Dembélé have overtaken him.

The latest change of system has not helped his ambitions either, with the inclusion of an extra midfielder to the detriment of an attacker.

Barça have always been very clear with Ansu about his non-transferable status. He is a home-grown player with undeniable quality. A footballer that can make the difference. However this season he has not been able to thrive and has an unattainable clause for anyone to pay.

If the Blaugrana are not open to negotiations, it is impossible for him to leave. That said, it is also true that at Barça they are clear that a big bucks sale will be necessary at the end of the season and there are few players who can bring in interesting sums of money. Ansu would be, at the moment, one of them, although nothing has been discussed or planned because Barça will never take the first step in an unwanted exit.

Jorge Mendes is in permanent contact with the Blaugrana. The Portuguese agent is very clear that Ansu is going to have offers this summer but will never force the decision — he wants to find a good solution for all parties.

In Manchester there is interest and the case is being studied a few weeks before a confrontation in the Europa League between the two clubs, where there will be direct contact between the head honchos of both sides. There is still a long way to go before the summer and we will see if the striker regains prominence or remains ostracised. Much of his future will depend on whether he plays or not.

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