MANCHESTER UNITED have had a stunning bid worth £135million knocked back by Barcelona for teen star Ansu Fati, according to reports.
The 17-year-old has burst onto the scene at Camp Nou this season, wowing fans with his stunning breakthrough performances alongside Lionel Messi and Co.
His progress hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, with the Red Devils eagerly eyeing his signature as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues his Old Trafford rebuild.
United had already had a bid of around £90m knocked back for the Spanish youth international, with The Times, claiming that they then upped it to £135m with “performance-related variables”.
Barca, however, will demand that his £151m release clause be paid in full if they are to let their star youngster leave this summer.
Club director Xavier Vilajoana said: “For us, there’s no story with Ansu, we have never spoken about selling him.
“We won’t use players from the academy to make cash.
“In principle, we have no intention of selling the players we believe will make the first team.”
No secret has been made of the LaLiga leaders’ desire to raise funds this summer – as they hope to navigate the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic while manoeuvring for key targets in the transfer window.
They are hoping to raise a significant sum out of sales of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic, Nelson Semedo, Samuel Umtiti and Arturo Vidal.
But according to a Times source, their efforts to flog these players have only served to bring more attention to Fati’s future.
They said: “All the big clubs want him.
“They’re saying, ‘If you want money, sell us Ansu Fati.’”
The youngster has managed five goals in 24 appearances this term, having burst onto the scene early in the campaign with strikes against Osasuna and Valencia.
He is currently contracted until 2022, although Barcelona have options to extend this until 2024.
United are clearly hoping to add to their arsenal of young, exciting wingers in the coming months.
Along with Fati, they have been strongly linked with Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho – as well as Bayer Leverkusen flyer Leon Bailey.
Despite having added Bruno Fernandes in January, they also continue to chase further creative midfield reinforcements, with Jack Grealish and Donny van de Beek links persisting.
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