Analysing Ansu Fati's Rumoured £135M Transfer from Barcelona to Man United

It was less than two months ago that Manchester United made an attempt to distance themselves from extravagant transfer rumours.

"I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport," explained executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward as Britain began to come to terms with lockdown and the world faced up to a new version of normal amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Yet here we are, seven weeks on from Woodward's statement, and United find themselves being heavily linked with Barcelona forward Ansu Fati, with suggestions he might soon become one of the most expensive player transfers of all time.

Aged just 17, Fati is undoubtedly an exciting talent. He broke into the Barca team at the start of this season and became the club's youngest goalscorer in history. He has already played 25 times for the club and has been described by Lionel Messi as an "amazing player."

But talk of a £135 million transfer seems to be exactly what Woodward had warned against.

Focus on Fati's future kicked off last week as a report from Lluis Miguelsanz of Sport in Spain said Manchester United had a €100 million (£89.4 million) offer rejected but would come back with another bid.

In England, Duncan Castles wrote for The Times (h/t Metro) that United have made a new advanced offer of €150 million. However, it's said Barca rebuffed the approach.

Toni Juanmarti of Sport has continued to build the momentum around Fati's potential switch, listing reasons why United want to sign him—such as the fact that he has a fantastic attitude and a style of play that suits the Premier League.

The story keeps gathering pace despite sources at the other end being keen to distance themselves from the rumour.

One trusted insider who is familiar with many of Manchester United's transfer discussions told Bleacher Report that Fati's name "has not been discussed" ahead of the next window.

Other informed figures feel transfer negotiators Woodward and Matt Judge simply would not sanction such a move at these uncertain times. It seems a valid point. 

If there is concern about paying £100 million for genuine long-term target Jadon Sancho—a homegrown player with regularly proven Bundesliga and Champions League ability—it would seem sensible to assume there is more fear over a player with less experience and a lower profile.

So what's going on?

Well, one B/R source believes United had small interest in Fati in the past—and that could be why the story is surfacing now. Ahead of the January window, when the club were drawing up long-term targets, Fati was mentioned as someone whose situation was worth exploring. Ultimately, it quickly became clear he would not be available. 

Over in Spain, there are a couple of theories among journalists and agents about the progress of this storyline over the past week. 

One is that super-agent Jorge Mendes is becoming involved with the player and is using his contacts to act as an intermediary between the two clubs. There is a feeling this could all be a power play to show he can make things happen for the player, with the deal now being discussed widely in public.

Another theory is that the Barcelona board are happy to help create a narrative that makes it look like they have big clubs trying to sign him and that they are fighting to hold on to one of their brightest talents.

As one source explained: "All that matters to certain people at the club is public perception. It would not surprise me if this was all some sort of stunt that has been generated to show them in a positive light." 

Sources told us that Barcelona know that Fati does not want to leave. He has spoken publicly about how being part of the side feels like a dream—and past negotiations mean we should expect an improved contract when he reaches his 18th birthday in October. A new €400 million release clause is also mooted.

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To put the whole story into context, we should consider the bigger picture at Barcelona and how Fati might fit into the plans.

The matter that complicates his immediate future is that Barca want to strengthen their attack with a high-profile signing in the next window. For some board members, Lautaro Martinez is the man they want. But for others, and even some within the dressing room, a move to bring back Neymar Jr. would be the dream.

In order to make either signing, funds need to be raised. The club's cashflow has run into problems, and avenues that intermediaries have been exploring to offload fringe talent, such as Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho, are leading to a dead-end at every turn.

And that is where Fati becomes an interesting case. Where does he fit in?

He already has competition from Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Martin Braithwaite in the forward positions—as well as Dembele and Coutinho if they hang around.

Some players would find that frustrating, and some clubs would be tempted to cash in. But neither of those factors are going to be strong enough for Fati to permanently leave Barca at this stage.

On Tuesday night, he started against Leganes and scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win with a brilliant quickly taken shot from the edge of the box. He has scored five goals so far this season, and some important ones at that. It would be an own-goal for Barca to sell him.

We should fully expect Fati's long-term future to be at Barcelona. He's a phenomenal talent, and he could be one of their most important players for the next decade.