BarcelonaBarça’s main hope for the future, Ansu Fati, signed yesterday, just after the match against Dinamo Kiev, his renewal until 2027 with the club that has seen him grow to football. Barça secure the future of the Spanish-Guinean striker with a long-term agreement that provides for a substantial improvement in their conditions – at the level of their market value, which has suffered very little in ten months. of injury– and a termination clause of 1 billion euros, the same figure with which the renewal of Pedri was initialed last week. The agreement was staged this Thursday at noon in an act officiated by President Joan Laporta.
“It’s always been my dream to play for Barça. I’m happy to stay here for a few more years. I’ll keep working to improve. It’s a dream that puts me in the same bag as Puyol, Iniesta or Messi [en un vídeo commemoratiu]. But I’m not at his level. I haven’t done anything yet, “said humbly Ansu Fati, who was accompanied at the event by his entire family, key executives in the renovation and Vice President Eduard Romeu, who oversaw the economic sustainability of The striker will see his income improve, but the club is grateful that he has not heard other higher offers. In fact, he himself made it clear to his agent that he only wanted to continue at Barça: “I always tell Jorge [Mendes] that my first choice was to stay here. “The Portuguese representative, by the way, was at the event in Barcelona after rejecting important proposals from teams such as Liverpool or Manchester United, as reported by ARA two days ago.
This interest is what, according to the football director, Mateu Alemany, turned the renovations of Ansu and Pedri into “alpha priorities” after a summer marked by the departure of Leo Messi and despite the context of salary savings that s imposes on Barça – a 24% reduction in the 21/22 budget has been committed. “They are two players who are already stars. They are, without a doubt, among the best on the continent in the under-20 category and ended their contract next summer, so it was very urgent to ensure their continuity. salary savings, we are still working on it, “added Alemany, who even explained that Fati has signed an extension” for less than half “of what other clubs that had asked for him were paid. It must be said, at the same time, that the agreement with the Spanish-Guinean is upward as Barça’s numbers improve and their performance continues to evolve as promised.
Ansu, who doesn’t mind Messi’s 10th – “I don’t think about it much, it’s just another motivation”, he says – is a straw man for the team that President Laporta wants to build for the coming seasons. “It’s important, the team benchmark. The club is above individuality. And we have reports that tell us that sponsors value this position very much,” said Laporta, who has voiced, along with Vice President Yuste, the dream of “re-aligning with eleven La Masia players”. The president has also urged Ansu, jokingly, to score a goal in Sunday’s classic “to celebrate the renewal”. Laporta is optimistic about the match with Madrid: “I have good feelings and I encourage people to come to the stadium, because we will see a great show.” The young striker added: “Playing a classic is always a motivation. Madrid is our great rival. You always have to be prepared for the big games. We will give everything to win.”
Negotiations for the guarantee underway
Beyond Ansu Fati, other issues have appeared at the press conference that Laporta has answered bluntly. On the renegotiation of the board’s endorsement, he confirmed that there are open talks with the state government to make the law more flexible: “15% of the budget is disproportionate and discriminatory.” And in relation to Espai Barça, which is due to vote in the assembly this weekend, he replied to the mayor of Sant Joan Despí, who recently put a stop to a possible extension of Johan Cruyff: ” I have a lot of respect for his opinion, but what we are asking for is to put 40,000 people in. If it can’t be, we have other alternatives, such as going to Montjuïc or continuing to play at the Camp Nou while the works last. “
