Barcelona put pressure on superagent to convince out-of-favour star to leave

Despite having clearly fallen out of favour at FC Barcelona, Ansu Fati is determined to continue at the club, even though staff members and the management have asked him to consider leaving on loan.

Having endured a difficult loan stint at Brighton & Hove Albion last season, the 22-year-old is reluctant to leave, especially in the middle of the season, despite not having a prominent role in manager Hansi Flick’s plans.

Barcelona turn to Jorge Mendes

As such, SPORT now reports that Barcelona have made a final push to his agent, Jorge Mendes, urging him to present the player with an opportunity where he can feel like a key figure, for the good of all parties involved.

Barcelona’s position regarding Fati has been clear since before Christmas. Sporting director Deco spoke with Mendes, urging him to find a new club for the forward, while Flick explained the player’s current situation within the team.

Fati understands that he will not have significant minutes at Barcelona, although Flick and his staff have committed to looking after him and helping improve his physical level if he remains at the club.

A week ago, Barcelona president Joan Laporta and Deco met with Mendes in Lisbon, where he informed them of Fati’s refusal to leave on loan. This news disappointed the board, who are in need of player exits to free up salary space.

Mendes the key now

When Fati moved to Brighton, Mendes managed to convince him to reconsider, and now Barcelona are hopeful that the agent can work another miracle in the final six days of the transfer window

As such, in the past few hours, Barcelona have increased their efforts to get Mendes to convince the Spaniard, believing that a loan move is in the best interest of the player.

If Fati stays, he is likely to spend the season with little playing time, which would create a significant problem for both his future and the club’s plans.

After all, the Blaugrana hope to resolve his situation permanently in the summer. However, they need him to play and showcase his abilities; otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to find him a new club.

Mendes is handling interest from several Turkish clubs for Fati, while he is also considering placing him at a Portuguese club, and there have been inquiries from teams in Spain.

While the superagent has respected the La Masia graduate’s wishes, he is also aware that the best thing for his career is to gain regular playing time.