In a major story, Toni Juanmarti is reporting that superagent Jorge Mendes has offered Barcelona a chance to swap Ansu Fati for Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, plus cash, this summer.
Fati has lost his prominence in this Barcelona setup this season under Xavi Hernandez. And even though he is intent on staying put, the club are considering selling him in order to achieve Financial Fair Play.
Only earlier this week, it had been reported that Wolves were among the Premier League clubs to show an interest in the 20-year-old attacker. Given the influence that Mendes carries at the Midlands outfit it is not surprising that they wish to sign the forward.
And, now, the superagent has tabled a proposal for Barcelona which would see them part ways with Ansu in exchange for Ruben Neves plus some cash.
Neves has been long-linked with a move to Spotify Camp Nou as a possible replacement for Sergio Busquets. However, the club’s sporting staff has not been totally convinced by the Portuguese international and has doubts about his ability to play as a single pivot.
Despite that, Mendes, who met with Ansu, his family and Joan Laporta over the past couple of days, has presented the option to the Barcelona president, who seems to be tempted by the possibility.
It is because a player-plus-cash deal for Fati would help Barcelona generate a larger share of Fair Play than just an outright sale.
For example, supposedly if Barça were to sell Fati for a fee of €30-40 million, they would have that entire €30-40 million as Fair Play. But in case, it would be a player-exchange deal, things could be much more beneficial.
Hypothetically, in a player-swap deal, if Barcelona value Fati at around €70 million, it would entirely be added to their Fair Play, along with any other cash they receive as part of the operation.
On top of that, they would have to just subtract one year of Neves’ transfer amortisation from the Fair Play.
For example, if Wolves set the Portuguese’s value at €50 million and he signs a four-year deal, Barça would have to subtract just €12.5 million from their books.
The operation, thus, could be beneficial from the FFP point of view for Barcelona. However, as things stand, it is difficult for the deal to go through. For starters, Fati is still not willing to leave the club at the moment.
On top of that, doubts about Neves’ suitability persist among the Barcelona coaching staff. They continue to see Martin Zubimendi (impossible) and Sofyan Amrabat (dependent on Fair Play margin) as better fits for their requirements.