FC Barcelona needs to lighten its wage bill and find economic solutions to comply with Financial Fair Play. The board has been looking for exits for several players who are not in the plans of the new coach, Hansi Flick, but the moves are proving more complicated than expected.
The January transfer market has offered several opportunities to bring in money with transfers to foreign leagues, where some clubs have shown great interest in certain footballers. However, the refusal of some players to leave the blaugrana entity has slowed down the plans of the sports management.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the most active markets in the hunt for European talent. Several clubs have come with tempting proposals to convince footballers who might see this destination as a great opportunity to relaunch their careers and secure lucrative contracts. Nevertheless, not all players are willing to take the step.
Saudi Arabia Has Tried, but Without Success
One of the most striking cases is that of a footballer trained at La Masia who continues to reject offers despite the lack of prominence. His stance has been clear from the start: to stay at Barcelona at all costs. Although the German coach has already made it clear to him that it will be very difficult to get minutes in his scheme.
This is about Ansu Fati, who refuses to leave the club even when his departure could be the best for his career. Saudi Arabia has put offers between 10 and 20 million euros on the table to sign him, but the forward refused to leave FC Barcelona. The winger, who last season failed to regain his best form at Brighton, hopes that Hansi Flick will give him a new opportunity to prove his worth.
Jorge Mendes Can't Do It Either
However, the coach has already conveyed to him that in his scheme there is a lot of competition and that his role will be secondary. Despite this, Ansu remains hopeful of regaining prominence and earning a spot. The club believes that his sale would be a great solution to improve the economy and avoid problems with Financial Fair Play.
Nevertheless, the player's refusal complicates any operation, and the board is trying to find alternatives to convince him that a change of scenery could benefit him. Although so far all attempts have been in vain, even that of his own agent, Jorge Mendes. The Portuguese has tried, but he hasn't been able to convince him to leave now either.
The situation of Ansu Fati remains unsolved, and time is running against Barça. With the transfer market closed, there are fewer and fewer options to finalize a sale that would free up the wage bill and provide liquidity to the club's coffers. The question remains: will the player end up giving in, or will Barça have to continue bearing his salary?