Man Utd the €100m pawn as Mendes wins Barcelona game
Jorge Mendes looks to have got his way, having used Manchester United in his bid to land his client a new deal at Barcelona.
Ansu Fati’s current contract is up at the end of the season and while the Catalan club believed they have an option of extending the deal for a further two years, Mendes was having none of it.
Not resting on his laurels, Mendes was rumoured to be offering Fati to a raft of top European clubs – a fairly transparent attempt to improve his client’s Barcelona deal, rather than a genuine attempt to find him a new club.
READ MORE: Pep comments show disconnect as sh*t hits the fans again
He’s said to have held talks with Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola would rather he hadn’t.
The City boss reportedly told director of football Txiki Begiristain not to enter into talks with Mendes as he doesn’t want to exploit his former club.
And Fati was also said to have been discussed by Mendes as he met with United bosses to iron out the details of Ronaldo’s sensational move to Old Trafford.
Those dicussions were described as ‘something normal’ and Barcelona had made it ‘very clear’ that Fati remains ‘non-transferable’ – he was never going to leave.
And it appears Mendes’ angling has worked, with multiple reports claiming Fati is about to be handed a new bumper deal by the Spanish giants.
And just as Mendes used Man United, the Spanish media are using the rumours as evidence of Fati and Barcelona’s commitment to each other.
Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) claim the rejection of a €100m bid from United proves the devotion of both parties. Guys, it didn’t happen…
Meanwhile, former United midfielder Paul Ince claims Donny van de Beek has “absolutely no chance” of succeeding under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ince said: “He’s never not going to play [Bruno] Fernandes or [Paul] Pogba, he’s got [Jesse] Lingard who can play in that role so the signs are there and I expect him to be gone in January.
“Whether it’s a loan… they won’t be getting the money back that they paid for him.
“You feel sorry for him because he looks like a nice lad, looks like he wants to do well, looks like the ultimate professional and he must know now that the ‘writing is on the wall, unfortunately.”
