Manchester United had reportedly agreed in principle to sign Ansu Fati for €150 million last summer, only for Barcelona to call a halt to transfer discussions.

According to a report from Spanish publication Sport, Premier League giants Manchester United had a deal in place to sign Barcelona sensation Ansu Fati this past summer but the Catalans pulled the plug on the move.

The 18-year-old Fati has grown into one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe since bursting onto the scenes at Barcelona last year.

A graduate of the famed La Masia youth academy, the Spanish winger caught the eye of the onlookers with some stunning displays in La Liga as well as the UEFA Champions League, sending a number of milestones tumbling along the way. Fati ended the campaign with eight goals and an assist from 33 appearances in all competitions.

In what was a disappointing campaign for the Blaugrana, Fati was one of the few positives. And the youngster’s development and rise in stature seemingly hadn’t gone unnoticed with Manchester United casting admiring glances towards the youngster, who has also gone onto break into the Spanish national side.

The Red Devils were desperate to sign a new winger in the summer transfer window, with Jadon Sancho being their primary transfer target. However, when a deal for the Borussia Dortmund star looked unlikely, Manchester United turned their attention towards Fati.

Ansu Fati could have joined Manchester United in the summer (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Ansu Fati could have joined Manchester United in the summer (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Now, it is being claimed that the 20-time English champions were, in fact, quite close to getting their man in the summer transfer window. As per the aforementioned report, Manchester United had a deal worth €150 million in place with Fati’s agent Jorge Mendes. However, Barcelona decided to not entertain the proposal, in spite of their difficult financial situation.

Having stayed put, Fati had begun the 2020/21 campaign in a blazing fashion before a serious injury sidelined him for the time being. Prior to succumbing to the injury, the 18-year-old had already struck five goals and four assists in just ten appearances in all competitions.

Fati’s current contract with Barcelona runs till the summer of 2022, with the club retaining the option of extending it by a further 24 months, while there also exists a mammoth release clause of €400 million. Considering that he is the present and the future of Barcelona, it is hard to fathom that the Catalans would want to let go of him anytime soon.

As far as Manchester United are considered, they did bring in two young wingers with immense potential in the form of Facundo Pellistri and Amad Traore, who will join the club in January. However, there is every chance that the Red Devils could revisit their interest in Sancho next year.

Comments 2

  1. I’m very happy to hear that

  2. Ndukwe says:

    Even if Barcelona accept to sell him for 100k , the Wood I know will never buy him. They will just be making headlines.

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