Borussia Dortmund have identified Barcelona’s 17-year-old wonderkid Ansu Fati as the ideal candidate to replace Jadon Sancho, with the England winger heavily linked with a move away in the summer.
Sancho has shone since moving to Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017, and the 20-year-old tops Manchester United’s wish list for the upcoming transfer window.
Dortmund have a proud history of recruiting some of the hottest prospects in world football, with Erling Haaland the most recent starlet to make the move to the Westfalenstadion.
According to Spanish news outlet Sport, Dortmund have set their sights on Fati as their latest youthful addition – as they prepare to lose Sancho in the summer.
The teenage winger has enjoyed a breakthrough year at Camp Nou, becoming Barcelona’s youngest debutant in 78 years when he made his first team bow against Real Betis aged 16 years and 298 days.
Fati has gone on to make 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Barcelona’s history in the process.
However, there have been suggestions that he is unlikely to enjoy such a prosperous campaign next season.
Fati has capitalised on injuries to regular starters Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé, who will both return next year. Francisco Trincao will join the club in the summer after completing his move from Braga, and Lionel Messi and Antoine Greizmann will also be jostling for a starting spot.
Barcelona have also been linked with a Neymar reunion, and are reportedly targeting Inter forward Lautaro Martínez.
And we haven’t even mentioned Martin Braithwaite.
As a result, Fati could see his playing time restricted next season. The report does not state how much Barcelona would demand for Fati, although it does claim that the Catalan giants would only consider a move if a buy back clause is included.
Barcelona have a habit of including clauses in deals for young players, with Gerard Deulofeu’s 2015 switch to Everton one of many transfers to feature a buy back option.
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