Barcelona exit on the rocks as negotiations come to standstill | OneFootball

Barcelona have plenty of motivation to speed up their exit operation this summer, as Director of Football Deco looks to move on a number of players in order to clear salary limit space for the potential signing of Nico Williams. As many as seven players will need to leave if the Blaugrana want to avoid sacrificing one of their more valued assets.

In that list is Ansu Fati. It has been apparent for some time that the 22-year-old’s future lies away from Camp Nou, with Hansi Flick offering him precious little in the way of opportunities. Hence, he will seek opportunities elsewhere. It had been reported that he was on the verge of a move to AS Monaco, but that move appears to be at a standstill.

Fati to Monaco held up

Fati has supposedly given the green light for a move, and Monaco coach Adi Hutter is keen to work with the injury-prone forward. However Hutter has asked for as many deals to be completed before their preseason as possible, say Sport (via Sempre Barca), and wants new faces in by the 28th of June. Their information is that there are now doubts about whether a move will be completed in Monaco.

Barcelona’s Ansu Fati runs during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and FC Barcelona at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Image via AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The Catalan daily go on to claim that while agent Jorge Mendes has been trying to wrap the deal up, their stances remain ‘distant’. The deal is in real danger of collapse, They quote L’Equipe, who also say that Monaco believe Hutter has sufficient firepower in the squad, reducing the need for a move for Fati.

Salary and composition of deal in question

The key issues holding up the deal are the fashion of the deal. There is a fundamental disagreement on how much of Fati’s salary Barcelona will continue to pay, as one of the highest earners in their squad. The second is whether the deal is a loan, whether an option to buy is included, or if it could be a sale with a buyback option included for Barcelona. Fati currently has two years left on his deal, but his exit is considered necessary to clear space in their salary limit, and the Blaugrana have supposedly set a deadline for the end of June.