‘He decides now’ – Hansi Flick issues Ansu Fati update amid West Ham interest

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has opened the door to a potential exit for Ansu Fati amid interest from West Ham United.

Reports from Spain claim the Hammers are one of two Premier League teams keen on bringing the 22-year-old back to England this month.

Tottenham Hotspur are also interested, but neither side have made a move for the former Brighton & Hove Albion loanee yet.

West Ham are keen to bolster their attacking options this month.

Multiple reports claim the Hammers are looking to sign a striker and an energetic midfielder, but they’re also open to splashing the cash on Fati.

Barca are willing to cash in on their academy graduate over the next couple of weeks, and Flick has hinted at a potential exit for the young forward.

“For me, it is important to be honest with the players, and I have been honest with Ansu,” Flick said at his press conference (via AS).

“We have talked about different possibilities, and he now decides if he wants to stay here. We will take the utmost care of him.

“We want to see him motivated. But that is professional football. Our job is to help him and make him better. If he wants to stay, that is fine.”

Fati would be a bad investment for West Ham

Over the past couple of years, West Ham have had enough bad recruitment to last them a lifetime and signing Fati would only add to that egregious record.

The ‘talented’ forward has already had his Premier League spell, and it didn’t end well for Brighton, where he returned four goals and an assist in 27 games – not to mention spending months sidelined due to injuries.

If the Hammers are serious about backing Graham Potter, they’d shelve the idea of signing Fati and go for more value-for-money options.

He has only made eight appearances for Barca this season. That should be a note of warning for West Ham’s recruitment team.