Benfica joins the list of clubs interested in Ansu Fati

The FC Barcelona management is waiting for Ansu Fati's decision regarding his future. The player from Bissau is not part of Hansi Flick's plans for the second half of the 2024-25 season, but he insists on staying despite knowing the few opportunities he will have from now until May. Clubs like Sevilla and Fenerbahce have tried, unsuccessfully so far, to convince him to join on loan until the end of the season.

In addition to the Andalusians and Turks, Ajax has also shown interest in the 22-year-old winger in recent hours, a list of teams that Benfica has also joined. The Portuguese must play the Champions 'play-off' against Monaco and could cross paths with Barcelona in the round of 16, as long as the draw places the Catalans on the right side of the 'bracket'. 

The Champions League, a key factor for Benfica's interest in Ansu

For Ansu, the option of the 'Eagles' seems much more attractive given the possibility of continuing to play in the Champions League, a tournament where he has barely seen a handful of minutes in the group stage against Monaco (2'), Young Boys (28'), and Bayern Munich (5'). The forward has only accumulated 186 minutes spread over 8 appearances in all competitions and has not played since the Cup match against Barbastro on January 4.

In this sense, Fati's situation is concerning, as his inactivity may negatively impact his market options for next summer. The player from Bissau also has a high salary (around 14 million euros gross per year) and his departure would open the door for a last-minute reinforcement for Barcelona, with Marcus Rashford being the most viable alternative. The winter transfer window closes on Monday, February 3, at 23:59, and UEFA will allow all teams competing in European competitions to register their reinforcements until next Thursday, the 6th.