Meet the face of the next-generation Barcelona in the person of Ansu Fati, a 16-year-old Guinea-Bissau native that has been making waves in the season, partly due to key Barca players getting sidelined by injuries. Reports said the youngster would be elevated to first-team and his contract with a release clause of £88 million.
The figures amount to $110 million, and per the reported deal, Fati is assured of taking home paycheck that is equivalent to $1 million for the current season. The historic deal indicated that the Catalan giants have absolute on the young player and have no plans to let him go anytime soon, Yahoo Sports said in a report.
The club has good reasons to bet on Fati. He was called in the absence of veteran players and surpassed all expectations. But Fati's feat was far from surprising as he's a product of the La Masia academy that is famed for supplying stars in the Catalan football scene. And he rose fast enough to shine and get noticed.
"The youngster was promoted to the senior side at the start of the season thanks to an injury crisis that swallowed up Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Ousmane Dembele," Yahoo said in its report.
According to The Daily Mail, the present season saw Fati start on a breakthrough season and "the 16-year-old became Barcelona's youngest ever goalscorer in August ... Barcelona chiefs are keen to tie down the teenager and ward off any interest elsewhere with a long-term contract."
Fati was recently granted Spanish citizenship that made him eligible to play for Spain's national squad, a fact that further cemented his long-term stay at the Catalan region.
Bleacher Report said it seemed obvious that Fati is taking a career path that is molded after Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi.
"He has a long way to go before he can come close to that trio, but Barca seems convinced of his talent and want to ensure he progresses his career at the Camp Nou," the report said.
In the immediate aftermath of Barca's decision to give Fati job security at a tender age, it can be expected that the teen will enjoy even more playing minutes. He will come off the bench and gain more mileage in the ongoing season.
However, Fati will need to be prepared once the more established Barcelona players have begun clearing the injury list.
"He will find starts hard to come by when Ousmane Dembele, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Antoine Griezmann are all fit," the same Bleacher Report warned.
