Hansi Flick snub to end Barcelona career for unwanted forward

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati appears set for an exit from the club he came through at this summer, with Hansi Flick making it abundantly clear that he is not intending on using him this season. The German coach snubbed him again on Sunday evening, a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the La Masia graduate.

A one-time fan favourite, and a popular figure in the Barcelona dressing room, Flick elected to send on Pau Victor for the final 15 minutes against Villarreal in place of Robert Lewandowski. While Victor himself is likely playing his last minutes for Barcelona, it did mean that Fati was not given an opportunity to play at home as a Barcelona player before he likely leaves the club.

Laporta: “The registrations of Olmo and Pau Víctor back in January? It was a critical moment, even Flick asked me to speak to the players and a lot of tension was created, but I told them that Olmo and Pau Víctor would be able to play… After that talk, we received the…

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 19, 2025

Departure beckons this summer for Ansu Fati

Flick appeared to make up his mind on Fati earlier this season, and in January advised him to leave on loan, amid links to Sevilla, Girona and Real Betis. The 22-year-old elected to fight for his place, but has grown increasingly frustrated with Flick and his lack of opportunities. Barcelona have conducted several meetings with agent Jorge Mendes to try and organise an exit.

As per Marca, it is assumed that Fati will leave this summer, and the intention is to find a permanent move. His camp are convincing him that his career is wasting away at Barcelona, and he needs minutes elsewhere. Sempre Barca also quote Fichajes, who say that the Catalan side have offered to mutually terminate his deal in order to move his significant wages off their books.

Tricky separation from Barcelona

Fati has three years left on his deal at Barcelona, and is one of the highest earners at the club dating back to a deal that he was given at the start of his injury crisis. It makes any move, permanent or on loan, highly difficult to negotiate, as his market value has declined significantly, and Barcelona will likely have to foot the bill for his exit to some degree. President Joan Laporta was non-committal on his future on Monday night.