AS Monaco has reportedly ruled out exercising the €12 million purchase option included in the one-season loan deal for Ansu Fati. Sources close to the Principality club indicate that the lack of playing time for the player from Bissau in recent weeks, where he stopped being a regular under coach Sébastien Pocognoli, would have convinced the club to send him back to FC Barcelona at the end of the 25/26 season.
Ansu spent the first month of the season on the sidelines while completing his physical recovery. Still with Adi Hütter on the bench, the 22-year-old forward had a stellar debut in Ligue 1, with 5 goals in his first 3 matches that earned him the MVP award for September in the league.
However, after the German's departure and Pocognoli's arrival, Fati lost prominence, to the point of **only playing one match as a starter** (61 minutes in the defeat against Metz) **since November 1st**. Some muscular discomfort left the winger out of the squad in the last four games of the year, fueling rumors about his departure
Ansu Fati's Future Generates Concern in Barcelona
Although, for now, the possibility of breaking the loan for a season in January does not seem viable, Barça's board is beginning to worry again about the youth player's future. If Ansu completes another semester with little playing time in Monaco, the options of **finding a team interested in his transfer** next summer will be drastically reduced.
The 22-year-old player renewed until 2028 to facilitate his departure last summer, and Barça prioritizes getting rid of his contract once and for all after the World Cup. For now, the Bissau-Guinean player has scored 6 goals in 14 appearances (598 minutes) with the Monegasque club, numbers well below the expectations generated by his performance in September.
In LaLiga, many teams would be eager to sign him next summer, but most would only consider a simple loan. The 12 million euros the Barça is asking for is an affordable amount, but the striker's lack of playing time and alarming injury history in recent years weigh heavily when considering a permanent purchase
Fati also **earns a high salary (around 5 million net)**. This factor was key for Barça to have to send him to Monaco last summer to resolve his departure. Hansi Flick did not count on the '10', whose number was already reserved for Lamine Yamal. Finally, the forward went on loan, as happened in 2023 after his move to Brighton.
In England, he experienced a similar scenario to what he is currently going through in Monaco: adaptation problems, little confidence from his coach, and inopportune injuries that reduced his activity to only 1,041 minutes in 30 games, in which he scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist.
Monaco's current situation also doesn't favor Ansu's awakening
Beyond the coaching change, Monaco is still struggling to take off this season in Ligue 1. Sébastien Pocognoli's team has barely earned 3 of the last 18 available points and sits in ninth place in the standings, closer to relegation than to league leaders Lens (37 points).
In the Champions League, however, the Principality team has had a good group stage despite debuting with a heavy defeat against Club Brugge (4-1). Monaco is in 19th place in the standings with 9 points, still in a 'play-off' spot with two matchdays remaining. In the French Cup, the club is still in contention after eliminating Auxerre in the round of 32.
However, as long as Pocognoli continues to rely little on Ansu Fati in his system, the future of the winger on loan from Barça will be much less encouraging for the second half of the season and for a summer market where he again seems obliged to look for a club.