Arsenal have been “in contact” with the representatives of Barcelona forward Ansu Fati, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.
Writing in an exclusive column for CaughtOffside.com, the journalist claimed that Liverpool and Manchester United will join the Gunners in pursuing the Spaniard, who will be available this summer:
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool have been in contact over the signing of Ansu Fati on the player’s side.
No talks with Barcelona yet, but a club-record offer could be enough due to Barca’s financial woes.
(@JacobsBen) pic.twitter.com/zvxEjgJHjK
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) February 14, 2023
Reports in the Spanish media have suggested that Barca may be prepared to offload Fati for around €100m (£89m), which would be a record fee for Arsenal.
The London club’s transfer record stands at £72m, which was shelled out on Nicolas Pepe just over three and a half years ago.
Spending such a sizeable figure on Fati would be a risk. The 20-year-old has only made 36 starts in his professional career, while he has missed another 84 matches due to injury problems. He is clearly a very talented young player but the Gunners will need to think long and hard before splashing out so much money on the player.