During the summer transfer window, Barcelona took the decision to move Ansu Fati away from the first team. He joined Brighton and Hove Albion on a season-long loan deal, and he has made a pretty good start to life at the Premier League side.
Fati scored his goal of the season during Brighton’s heavy defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday. The 6-1 result won’t give too much confidence, but the goal certainly will. He will hope to kick on now, and Barcelona are hoping for the same.
However, Barcelona want Fati to do well for a different reason than expected. Sport are reporting that they want to sell him on a permanent basis next summer, and a successful loan spell at Brighton would put him in the shop window for a big-money move, which the Catalans are very keen to make happen.
🚨 The club's idea is to sell Ansu Fati next summer. But for this to happen, Ansu needs to perform at Brighton. @sport pic.twitter.com/PqosJGVUic
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 1, 2023
Barcelona are still firmly embroiled in the financial mire, so selling Fati would help them do business in next summer’s transfer window. That could include signing Joao Felix on a permanent basis, with the Portuguese having replaced Fati in the first team squad in Catalonia, and done so to good effect so far.
However, selling Fati may not be enough for Barcelona to be able to sign Felix. Atletico Madrid are expected to demand a very high fee for the 23-year-old, especially so if he has a successful season on loan. There’s no guarantee that Fati would generate enough money for Barcelona to afford Felix’s asking price.
However, it could be a long way towards matching it, especially if he has a good season at Brighton. In this regard, it would make sense as Felix appears to be more of a fit for Xavi Hernandez’s system, and Fati has struggled to establish himself under the 43-year-old.
Fati showed so much promise when breaking on to the scene with Barcelona as a 16-year-old, but it’s safe to say that the last 2-3 years have been a struggle due to injuries and lack of form. Xavi’s reasons for not playing Fati stem from him not fulfilling his potential, although he is still only 20, so there is lots of time for him to come good.
It seems a bit premature that Barcelona have taken the decision to sell Fati now. He could come back a new player after a remarkable season in the Premier League, but it appears that the reasoning being it revolves around the club wanting to sign Felix on a permanent basis, which does make some sense.
