Ansu Fati’s future appears to be shifting away from FC Barcelona, with a strong new suitor for his signature and a potential financial blow on the horizon for the Catalan club.
Ansu Fati is a foot and a half apart from FC Barcelona. After being excluded from the squad for the semi-finals and final of the 2025 Spanish Super Cup, the young talent was once again sidelined due to technical decisions. The winger was notably absent from the list for the upcoming match against Real Betis at Montjuïc, thus receiving a clear signal from Hansi Flick, who clearly is not counting on him. This signal is particularly poignant, as the Copa del Rey encounter usually offers playing time and opportunities for less used players.
According to Spanish Football Federation regulations, Flick was only allowed to select 22 players for the round of 16 match against Betis. Just like against Athletic Club and Real Madrid in the Super Cup, the German coach chose not to include Ansu Fati in the squad.
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This decision comes firmly from the Barcelona coach, just hours after he issued a public warning during Tuesday’s press conference: “I’m honest with everyone; I spoke to him. I told him when It happened that he was ready to be professional and give a great performance. He got injured, but after the injury he didn’t show us his full potential. And that’s a shame for him and for us. He didn’t give his best. must work like everyone else and give the best of himself. That’s what we want.”
While Flick affirmed that Ansu “is a player for Barça” and stressed that “the important thing is that he continues to work to come back, because we are very happy with him”, it is clear that the future of the striker seems more and more distant from the club. He has only played 186 minutes this season and has spent less than 30 minutes on the field since mid-November (28 minutes against Barbastro). In fact, he didn’t even start in the first round of the Cup, coming on in place of Robert Lewandowski in the 62nd minute when the score was already 0-4.
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A few weeks ago, Ansu was adamant about not wanting to entertain the idea of changing clubs during the winter market, especially after his experience at Brighton. However, Hansi Flick’s three consecutive rejections and emphatic messages made it clear to the winger that if he stayed, he would likely face ostracism until the end of the season. Competition for places is intense, and from now on, opportunities will be even more difficult to seize.
As previously reported by SPORT, several Spanish clubs are closely monitoring Ansu’s situation. Teams like Girona, Valencia and Betis could offer good options for the young talent to revive his career at just 22 years old. Sevilla is another option, although this is practically out of the question due to the strained institutional relations between the Sevillian club and Barcelona.
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There are less than 20 days left. This is the time Ansu Fati has to change his mind and consider a transfer that would allow him to start playing regularly again until the end of the season. So far, the striker has resisted the idea of leaving Barca during this winter market. However, signs coming from the club, the coaching staff, and even those around him indicate growing pressure for the ’10’ to reconsider his intention to continue under a Flick who does not include him in his plans.
