Barcelona forward Ansu Fati is in talks to join French side Monaco next season, various sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Fati, 22, has made just three starts for Barça this season and will be allowed to leave the club this summer despite having a contract until 2027.
Sources have told ESPN that Monaco prefer a loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent in 2026, while the player is open to the idea of joining the Ligue 1 side, who can offer Champions League football next term.
Barça coach Hansi Flick says he will not stand in Fati’s way if he wants to leave.
“He has a contract and he will make the decision,” Flick said in a news conference Saturday when asked about Fati’s future. “When he wants to speak with me, he can do that. For me, it’s his decision.”
Fati burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 2019, but a series of serious injuries halted his progress, leading to a loan move to Premier League side Brighton in 2023.
He returned to Barça last summer and was given another chance to succeed at the club under Flick, but has found minutes hard to come by.
Sources say the club are now open to his departure, either permanently or temporarily, as they look to make space in the squad for attacking reinforcements.
ESPN revealed earlier this week that Barça are keen to sign another winger, with Liverpool’s Luis Díaz and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford among the players on their shortlist.
“I don’t want to speak about players not in my team, but both of them are fantastic players,” Flick added when asked about interest in Díaz and Rashford. “I like them and we will see what happens. Of course they are fantastic players.
“This is what we talk about [signing a winger]. In the last matches, maybe we don’t have a lot of options there, so we have to bring more options to the team and also more quality.
“This is what is clear. It’s a job for [sporting director] Deco. He has to do this and I will support him.”
Under Flick, Barça have won three trophies this season — LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa — and will bring the curtain down on a successful campaign on Sunday, when they face Athletic Club in their final league game of the year.
ESPN’s Julien Laurens contributed to this story.
>
