Whatever happens with Ansu Fati. Whether he stays or not at Barça, next season the number 10 jersey of FC Barcelona will no longer belong to him.
Hansi Flick has personally intervened in the matter. Joan Laporta applauds his coach's decision.A jersey like Barça's number 10, which Leo Messi wore for more than a decade, can't languish on the bench.
The club suffers in its marketing. The number 10 is a jersey that sells very well. In fact, it usually belongs to the best or one of the best players on each team.
This is not the case for Barça. At least not now, given Ansu Fati's performance in recent years.
Flick Asks Ansu Fati to Give Up His Jersey
Hansi Flick has asked him that, regardless of how his future is solved, he gives up that jersey to a teammate with weight in the team.
Flick hasn't deceived Ansu Fati. He told him in December that he wasn't going to count on him. And if Ansu Fati remains at Barça, it's because he refused to leave in the winter market.
To make matters worse, Flick isn't satisfied with his attitude. A few days ago, he used Pablo Torre and Pau Víctor as examples of substitutes who work day-to-day to earn minutes. This is not the case for Ansu Fati.
Laporta has been looking for a way out for him to leave Barça for a while, but the player isn't receptive.
Ansu Fati has two more years left on his contract at 13 million per season, 26 in total. It's understandable that he doesn't want to leave because he won't find a club willing to pay these amounts and, moreover, with his medical history.
The Number 10 Will Be for the Soul of the Team
The club has tried, and is awaiting a response, to extend his contract by three more years to spread the 26 million they owe him over 5 years. This is the formula Laporta has devised to reduce the team's wage bill.
Fati would go from earning 13 million to 5.2 per season. The matter is under study.
Meanwhile, Flick has already communicated his desire for him to give up his number 10 jersey to Pedri. For the German coach, he is the player who has earned it the most as the team's playmaker.
Ansu Fati has ended up accepting. Next season, it will be Pedri who wears the number 10 that belonged to players like Messi and Ronaldinho in recent years. Pedri is currently wearing the number 8, which at Barça belonged to players like Xavi or Bernd Schuster.