Barcelona winger’s stay could become ‘difficult’ if they sign Lionel Messi

It has been two years since Ansu Fati has taken on the mantle of wearing the prestigious number 10 kit for Barcelona, following the departure of Lionel Messi.

However, the youngster has been far from impressive and has been quite unfortunate with injuries. So much so, the attacker is yet to even establish himself as a first-team regular under Xavi Hernandez, falling behind the likes of Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele in the pecking order.

In light of his recent struggles, Fati has made it to the list of players who are in contention to depart in the coming summer, as part of Barcelona’s plans to generate fresh revenue.

In fact, Gerard Romero has recently suggested that Fati’s stay at Camp Nou could be ‘difficult’ if Barcelona end up facilitating the return of Lionel Messi.

This is hardly surprising as Messi will likely fill the same creative space in the final third which Fati has failed to establish. Although Barcelona’s technical staff consider the Argentine as more of a fourth midfielder, they would still require the sale of one of their star attackers in order to fund the move.

Fati appears to be a more logical option for Barça than Raphinha and Torres. Raphinha, for one, has performed well at times and did not exactly flop in his first season at the club. His sale will not bring too much of a profit either, as Barcelona still owe money to Leeds United.

Torres, meanwhile, won’t generate a strong income, especially with Aston Villa now out of contention following Mateu Alemany’s decision to remain at Barcelona.

That leaves Fati on the table. The youngster does have excellent potential and could generate a fortune in the market, which in turn, could go a long way in helping Barcelona balance the books and secure the return of Messi.