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Barcelona president Joan Laporta is reportedly “very upset” with Ansu Fati’s agent Jorge Mendes who has been offering the 18-year-old to clubs in order to try and get the forward a better deal at the Camp Nou.
Mendes has offered Fati to Premier League champions Manchester City and “several giants in Europe” to “scare” Barcelona into closing contract renewal talks as soon as possible, according to El Nacional.
However, Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, “asked Txiki Begiristain not to enter the game started by Mendes” because he does not want to “harm Barcelona” during “one of the most economically delicate situations of its history.”
Guardiola’s gesture “has been very well received” by Laporta who is “very upset” with Mendes and is keen for Fati to take a “downward renewal” to help the club’s delicate financial situation.
Fati’s current contract expires next summer but the teenager is one of four players Barca wants to renew as a priority, according to Marca. The striker has been out injured since November 2020 but the club has shown its faith in the youngster by handing him the No. 10 shirt for the 2021-22 campaign.
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Laporta Responds to Ansu Fati Rumors
Laporta has spoken about Fati during the international break and has denied rumors the club put the teenager up for sale. Cadena SER has reported that the club tried to sell Fati for €100 million in the summer transfer window.
The Barcelona president insisted that was not the case and also praised the youngster for taking over Lionel Messi’s famous No. 10 shirt following his shock exit this summer.
“We never put him up for sale,” he said. “Another thing is that it appeared in a newspaper that an English club was going to make an offer. This offer never came. Ansu was brave because he accepted the ’10’, but he only accepted it if the captains gave him the green light.”
Fati Return Delayed?
Fati is closing in on a return to first-team action after returning to training, but there are still conflicting reports flying about regarding when the teenager will finally be ready to make his long-awaited comeback.
Barcelona’s medical team had been expecting Fati to be available when Granada visits the Camp Nou on September 20, according to Catalan daily Diario Sport.
However, coach Ronald Koeman is said to be in absolutely no rush to bring Fati back which means he may not feature until October, as reported by Javi Miguel at Diario AS.
The report adds that Fati is not expected to play in Barca’s forthcoming fixtures against Bayern Munich Granada, Cádiz, Levante, Benfica or Atlético Madrid. A more realistic target is the league clash with Valencia on October 17.
Koema has already made it clear he won’t take any risks with Fati. “I don’t want to name a date, but I saw Sevilla (September 11) in the press,” he told reporters. “Forget that game. He will not be there. He needs more training, more strength, more fitness … because we want him for a long time. Won’t take any risks with Ansu in that sense.”
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