Barcelona reach agreement for Ansu Fati exit

Barcelona have reportedly reached an agreement for Ansu Fati to leave the club for a second time, after a tricky campaign under Hansi Flick. The 22-year-old forward was largely free from injury this season, but did not manage to earn much in the way of game time.

Already in March there was talk of Fati’s growing frustration with Flick, who left him out of a number of squads as a healthy scratch, and despite a fleeting return to action, was on the bench for the final two games of the season with nothing on the line. He has taken the decision to leave Barcelona for a second time in search of that game time, a season after spending the year at Brighton on loan.

It was revealed this week that Chelsea had appeared as an option for Fati, depending on the terms of the deal, but it seems that Fati has made his mind up that he wants to move to AS Monaco. Sport say that Barcelona are desperate to save all of his €6m salary next year, and are working on solutions, although it helps that the tax rate in Monaco is less strict.

However Cadena Cope say that this solution has been found, and that the deal will go through either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Fati has given the green light to agent Jorge Mendes, and has left to spend holidays in New York while the matter is resolved. It will be a loan move with with an option to buy around €20m. The fact Monaco manager Adi Hutter has backed the move strongly is also a key factor in his thinking.

Meanwhile one of the targets for Director of Football Deco is to strengthen the forward line, with Pau Victor expected to follow Fati out the door. Luis Diaz has been cited as the top choice, but Barcelona are also looking at alternatives if they cannot strike a deal for the Colombian.