Huge Relief: Arsenal Handed Major Boost As Injury Fears Are Eased Close
Trending:

Transfer News: Brighton Unveil Barcelona Star Ansu Fati As New Loan Signing

By Chris King • 31 August 2023 • 3:38

Image of footballer Ansu Fati.

Image of footballer Ansu Fati. Credit: Twitter@OfficialBHAFC

UPDATE: Friday, September 1 at 4:15 pm

BRIGHTON have unveiled Ansu Fati as their latest signing. The Barcelona star has joined the Seagulls on a one-year loan from La Liga giants Barcelona.

The club welcomed him in a post on social media that was captioned: ‘We are pleased to confirm the signing of @ANSUFATI on a season-long loan from @FCBarcelona!’.

An official statement on brightonandhovealbion.com said: ‘We are pleased to confirm the signing of Ansu Fati on a season-long loan from Barcelona. The 20-year-old made 36 La Liga appearances last season for Barca, as they secured their first title for four years’.

‘This is a great deal for all of us. I am sure Ansu will help us to reach a new target and we can help him get back at the level he deserves to be’, commented Roberto De Zerbi.

David Weir, Brighton’s technical director added: ‘We are delighted to bring Ansu to the club. He is one of the most highly-rated young players in the world and arrives with an impressive amount of experience both domestically and in European competition, despite his age’.

‘This season is the biggest in the club’s history and we’re really happy that a player of Ansu’s quality is going to be part of it. We will give him the opportunity to embed himself in the squad and to get used to working with Roberto, but naturally, we’re excited to see him in a Brighton shirt’, he concluded.

———————————————————————

Thursday, August 31 at 3:38 am

BRIGHTON have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona to sign Ansu Fati on loan until June 2024.

This stunning piece of news was announced in a tweet from Fabrizio Romano, the respected Italian football transfer expert late on Wednesday, August 30.

He wrote: ‘Ansu Fati to Brighton, here we go! Deal in place between #BHAFC and Barça as revealed earlier, verbal agreement now done  ◉ NO buy option clause. ◉ Loan deal until June 2024. ◉ Main part of salary covered. Travel booked on Thursday, Brighton want it signed ASAP’.

The 20-year-old Spanish international striker had reportedly been offered to Tottenham and Chelsea earlier in the day yet it looks like the Seagulls hijacked any potential moves the other two clubs might have had in mind.

Roberto De Zerbi is believed to have played a significant role in persuading Fati to join the Premier League side. The young striker previously insisted that he had no intention of leaving the La Liga giants despite interest from a number of top clubs.

Fati has failed to fight his way back into the Barca side

Since returning from several long-term injuries Fati has struggled to get back into Xavi Hernandez’s starting line-ups. In their first three games of the season he has only managed to make an appearance from the beach each time.

Great things were expected of Ansu Fati after he broke into the Barca team aged only 16. He even inherited the iconic No. 10 shirt once worn by the legendary Lionel Messi.

However, a series of hamstring and knee injuries between 2020 and 2022 saw the talented young Spaniard sidelined for the bulk of two seasons.

A return to fitness saw him net 10 goals in 51 appearances last season, although again, the majority were from off the bench. That led to his father Bori calling for him to quit the club in order to get regular playing time.

Barca are thought to want two more players

With the transfer window closing on Friday, Barca are thought to be interested in acquiring the services of Atletico Madrid’s wantaway Portuguese forward Joao Felix.

They first need to balance their books and appease the La Liga spending rules by sending players in the opposite direction. With Fati heading to Brighton, and Clément Lenglet’s move to Aston Villa waiting to be confirmed, that should be sufficient.

Another Portugal international Joao Cancelo, is expected to complete a switch from Manchester City to Barcelona before Friday.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments

Continue Reading