Manchester City ‘keeping tabs’ on Barcelona forward Ansu Fati after father’s furious outburst

Recent comments by the father of Barcelona’s Ansu Fati has alerted three Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, to keep tabs on the forwards situation.

The 20 year-old has seen limited starting opportunities for the La Liga leaders despite featuring 39 times across five competitions for Barcelona so far this season.

Fati signed a new contract at the Camp Nou until 2027 in 2021, with the deal including a €1 billion release clause.

The Spaniard has scored just four La Liga goals during the campaign, and amid a lack of minutes, the forwards father, Bori Fati, dramatically urged his son to leave the club and revealed that he was ‘annoyed’ by Barcelona’s recent treatment of the player.

“If it was up to me, I would take him [to another team] but [Ansu] wants to stay at Barcelona,” his father told Spanish outlet Cope, as relayed by ESPN.

“He does not want to sign for another club, but I want to see him succeed. As a dad, I am angry. Seeing Ansu play so little winds you up a little bit and sometimes I think as a father, not a coach.

“What annoys me is how they’re treating him in terms of minutes. One minute, two, three, I am not asking for him to be a starter whatever, because all the forwards at the club are phenomenonal, but we are talking about Ansu Fati, of Spain and Barcelona, who came through La Masia.”

The Spaniard’s frustrations have reportedly alerted three Premier League clubs to the situation, with Peter O’Rourke claiming that Manchester City are ‘keeping tabs’ on the forward.

City, who are expected to be in the market for a new winger this summer, could face competition from rivals Manchester United and Chelsea, should the player leave Catalonia at the end of the season.

Footy Insider further claim that Barcelona would accept a £90 million offer for the 20 year-old, as City ‘plot’ a potential move for the La Masia graduate.

Barcelona continue to face a dire financial situation and are expected to look to offload several players this summer in an attempt to balance the books.

The Catalan club are though interested in signing City captain Ilkay Gundogan, with the German’s contract expiring at the end of the current campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Gundogan, who was Pep Guardiola’s first ever signing at the Etihad Stadium, will sign a new deal with the Blues or move to La Liga.