Getty
Ansu Fati is closing in on a return to first-team action at Barçelona after 10 months on the sidelines and seems to be enjoying himself during training with the Catalan giants.
Barca showed off the 18-year-old scoring a stunning acrobatic volley as he worked out with his teammates at the Ciutat Esportiva, as you can see below.
Volley Ball 🚀
@ANSUFATI
It’s not the only Fati goal from the training ground that Barca has been keen to share with fans. The Catalan giants also offered a glimpse of the teenager showing off his aerial ability.
😍 Looking good, Ansuuuuu! 💪💪
It’s still unclear when Fati will make his long-awaited return. The club’s medical team had been expecting the youngster to return against Granada in La Liga on September 20, according to Diario Sport.
However, the latest update has suggested his return could be delayed. Javier Miguel at Diario AS has reported Fati may not play until Valencia visits the Camp Nou on October 17.
The Catalan giants are not willing to take any risks at all with Fati because “he is a very young player with a spectacular future.” The club is therefore willing to wait until he is 100 percent ready to play before allowing him to get back out on the pitch.
Follow the Heavy on Barcelona Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Barcelona Confident Fati Will Renew
Barcelona is also hoping that Fati will renew his contract at the club shortly. There has been speculation that Fati’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has offered the youngster to Manchester City in an attempt to get a better deal out of Barca.
However, Barca has “total confidence” that Fati will continue at the Camp Nou and see him as “unequivocally non-transferable” and “vital” to the club, particularly following the departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
The report adds that Fati has already made his desire to stay at Barcelona clear to football director Mateu Alemany. He said, “I want to stay to try to succeed here.”
Barcelona must now find the “right formula” to keep hold of Fati who is out of contract in 2022. It may not prove easy either given the club’s financial situation which has seen key players such as Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets accept salary reductions over the summer.
Laporta Praises ‘Brave’ Ansu Fati
The next time Fati does feature for Barcelona will be his first outing in his new No.10 shirt. The youngster has taken over the iconic number from captain Lionel Messi and has drawn praise from president Joan Laporta.
The Barcelona chief told Onze TV said it was a “brave decision” by the youngster and also denied rumors the club had received a big offer for the attacker, as reported by 90min.
“We have never tried to transfer Ansu Fati. We try to preserve the players with presence and a very good future,” he said. “I have heard that there was an offer of €100million, it came out in the newspapers, but at no time have we received it. Ansu has been very brave, He has accepted the ’10’, which no one wanted. He said he would accept it if the captains allowed it.”
Fati is one of Barca’s biggest hopes for the future and his return will be eagerly-anticipated by fans, particularly after losing Messi and Griezmann during what’s been another traumatic summer at the Camp Nou.
READ NEXT: Barca’s New UCL Jersey Revealed Ahead Of Bayern Clash [LOOK]