Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club want forward Ansu Fati to stay at the Camp Nou amid continued speculation about the 20-year-old’s future.
Laporta told TV3 that Barcelona are counting on having Fati in the first-team squad next season but added it will be up to coach Xavi to decide how regularly he plays, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
“He is a man we count on and it is the technical direction that will have to decide what happens with Ansu next season,” he explained. “He’s a Barça player, we love him and he’s a high-quality player and an integrated person, I know he wants to succeed at Barça, we’ll see how it goes.”
Fati has struggled for starts for Barcelona in the current campaign, making 32 appearances in La Liga, but being named in the starting XI just 11 times.
The youngster’s father has been critical of Xavi’s treatment of his son this season and has advised him to leave Barcelona in an interview with Cope, as reported by Eurosport.
Barcelona are reportedly willing to listen to offers of just 40 million euros for Fati, according to Javier Miguel at Diario AS. Yet Fati made it clear earlier in April, after making his 100th appearance for the club, that he wants to stay at Barcelona.
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Joan Laporta Responds To Lionel Messi Rumors
Laporta also addressed speculation that Lionel Messi could return to the club in the summer transfer window. Messi is out of contract at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and has been linked with a Camp Nou return.
The Barcelona president told TV3 that he has tried to mend his relationship with Messi, which deteriorated after the forward’s shock exit, and has been in touch with the World Cup winner recently, as reported by ESPN.
“I have spoken with him recently to rectify the situation after I had to put the club before everything, even him, the best player in the world,” Laporta said. “It was a pleasant conversation. We have recovered the relationship we have had for many years.”
Messi is also reportedly wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, but Laporta believes the forward could be tempted back to the city he has called home since leaving his homeland as a 13-year-old.
“With all due respect to Saudi Arabia – where a lot of good work and investment is taking place around the league there – Barca is Barca,” he explained. “Barca is his home. Barca can compete with anyone. The history this club has and the feeling of our 400 million supporters is so strong.”
Will Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati Be Reunited?
If Messi returns to Barcelona he could be reunited with Fati. The two shared a strong relationship before Messi left for PSG. The move saw Fati take over the Argentine’s famed No. 10 shirt at Barcelona.
Fati has previously admitted that he will be “eternally grateful” to Messi for a gesture he made after the youngster’s debut against Sevilla. Messi gave Fati a hug after the game and subsequently posted a photo on social media which went viral.
The forward spoke to France Football about the moment and revealed why the gesture meant so much to him, as reported by BeSoccer.
“I received millions of notifications on my mobile phone, it was crazy. I will never forget this gesture, I will be eternally grateful to him. It was something very important to me,” he said. “I keep the photo at home forever. I remember Ronaldinho supported him a little bit in the same way when he started. He did the same with me. This was a real motivational boost for me.”
Fati’s endured a difficult campaign at Barcelona and struggled to replicate the form that made him such as top prospect when he first broke onto the scene. The return of Messi would increase competition for places in the Barca attack but would also offer Fati more time to learn from one of the best players even to grace the game.
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Barcelona Chief Confirms Club’s Decision on Ansu Fati’s Future