Barcelona are reportedly ready to send Ansu Fati, once considered the heir to Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou, to Wolverhampton Wanderers in exchange for midfielder Ruben Neves this summer, and the Blaugrana are keen to get the deal done before July 1st.
Fati has had a difficult season with the La Liga leaders, and has admitted that ideally he would want to spend more time on the pitch.
“I’m not going to lie. Yes, it’s true that I expected that I would play more,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “I want to play but I understand that the coach (Xavi) is the one who decides, and I have to give my best every day to be able to turn it around.’’
However, he later claimed that “I’m under contract with Barcelona until June 2027 and I hope to stay here for many more years”.
But that may not be in his control. Barcelona need to free up funds this summer, even more so if they wish to bring Lionel Messi back to the Camp Nou as a free agent, and the forward line is seen as the most bloated part of the squad.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, it is Fati that could prove to be the odd one out, and they claim that a bid is already in the offing from Wolves, who have close ties to super agent Jorge Mendes.
Neves has been a player that Barcelona have held a longstanding interest in, and the Portuguese midfielder could be an excellent replacement for Sergio Busquets, who is set to move to the MLS at the end of the season.
However, there is a snag, with Fati very reluctant to make the move, and the Spaniard keen to have crisis talks with Xavi at the end of the season to find a way back into the fold.
Like with Frenkie de Jong last summer, it could be a transfer saga that drags out across much of the transfer window.
