Amazing news coming out of the transfer news mill claims that Barcelona’s 20-year-old La Masia talent, Anssumane Fati Vieira, popularly known as Ansu Fati, is headed for the AMEX Stadium to play for Brighton.
This news comes after the player had been close to agreeing a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur following a lack of prominence under Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona.
Fati, who inherited Lionel Messi’s number 10 shirt at Barcelona and has been highly spoken about by the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, suffered a series of injuries that he is yet to mentally recover from. This has led to a number of players usurping him in the team.
Formerly a bona fide starter, the Guinea-Bissau native who represents Spain at the international level, is now used as a late sub at Barcelona. After a summer spent trying to negotiate for more minutes as the Catalan giants’ number 10, a move to Tottenham Hotspur was on the brink.
Liverpool were also thrown into the mix. The Reds are dealing with pressure from Saudi Arabia to part with 31-year-old Mohamed Salah and a report claimed that Fati’s representatives offered him to the club as a replacement for the Egyptian.
Spurs, however, came closest and until the late hours of Wednesday, were thought to have wrapped up the 20-year-old’s signing on loan. However, a late bid from Brighton and a call from Roberto De Zerbi to Ansu Fati swayed the player and the club’s mind to sanction a move to the AMEX for Fati instead.
Bori Fati, the player’s father, and Jorge Mendes, the player’s agent, are the happiest parties in this deal as they have been prodding the youngster to leave the club in order to regain his best form and return as Messi’s heir or find prominence elsewhere.
It is a dramatic turnaround for the player and the club, who will be left without a number 10 for the season, which will be the first time in almost two decades that the number will be omitted from Barcelona’s squad list.
The move to Brighton will have no buy clause inserted into it as the club are unwilling to let the player go. If they do, it will be because someone matched his €1 billion release clause. Brighton will also pay 75 percent of Fati’s wages for the duration of the loan.
Fati remains contracted to Barcelona until 2027.
His exit on loan will also free up space for more registrations by Barcelona and the confirmation of the signing of another Jorge Mendes client in João Cancelo. João Felix is also another addition that could happen thanks to Fati’s exit on loan from the club.
