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Roberto Casillas

Barcelona ‘Deal in Place’ to Send Forgotten La Masia Talent on Loan to Ligue 1

Ansu Fati (left) could't find a way to break into Hansi Flick's Barcelona side. | IMAGO/AFLOSPOR

After weeks of negotiations, Barcelona and AS Monaco have reached an agreement that will see former La Masia gem Ansu Fati join the Ligue 1 side.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the 22-year-old winger will join Monaco on a loan move with a buy option for the team. Fati will sign a new deal with Barcelona and then travel to Monaco tomorrow to undergo medical tests with his new club.

Spain's Cadena SER is reporting that Monaco's option to make the transfer permanent next summer will be worth around €11 million ($12.7 million).

After breaking out with Barcelona as a teenager, Fati showed incredible promise, so much so that he inherited Lionel Messi's No. 10 shirt after the soccer legend departed the Catalan club. Injuries to start the decade derailed Fati's career and he's never been the same player since.

Last season, after spending a year away on loan with Brighton in the Premier League, Fati struggled to find playing time under Hansi Flick, failing to score a single goal in his 11 appearances during 2024–25.

Fati has played just 135 minutes across all competitions during 2025 and since the season ended, he's been stripped of his shirt number in favor of fellow La Masia starlet, Lamine Yamal.

The deal favors all parties involved. Fati gets a chance for consistent minutes to try and revive his career. Monaco land a young player for cheap that has proven in the past to have real quality.

Finally, Barcelona offloads the majority of the salary of the third-highest earner in the club, as they look to gather funds to reportedly trigger Nico Williams's release clause.


READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona ‘Deal in Place’ to Send Forgotten La Masia Talent on Loan to Ligue 1.

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