Ansu Fati: Hansi Flick opens door to Barcelona return | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has admitted Ansu Fati has caught the eye behind the scenes as the winger continues to fight for his future at the club.

Fati has managed just four La Liga appearances this season and has represented Barcelona just once since November 2024 - a late cameo off the bench against fourth-tier Barbastro in the Copa del Rey.

The 22-year-old was regularly linked with a a move away from Barcelona during the January transfer window but declined the chance to leave in favour of fighting for his spot in the squad, despite Flick admitting the battle for minutes in his position was significant.

Clearly embracing the challenge, Fati continues to work behind the scenes and Flick told a press conference on Saturday that he had been impressed by the winger's attitude.

"This is the plan with Ansu Fati," Flick said. "Sometimes you talk to the coach and a few days later you see what happens.

"[Marc-Andre] Ter Stegen, [Marc] Bernal and [Andreas] Christensen are out due to injury. The rest are 21 players. Ansu is doing very well, he is improving and that is what we want. He is on the right path."

Complicating Fati's situation at Barcelona is his status as one of the club's highest earners. The young winger is reported to be pocketing close to £200,000 per week thanks to a contract signed in October 2021 after his return from a serious knee injury.

Barcelona hoped to offload his salary in January to facilitate a move for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, but Fati held firm and now has five months to force his way back into Flick's thinking.