Tottenham and Liverpool set for rejection as Ansu Fati ‘agrees to join Brighton’
Barcelona star Ansu Fati is set to join Brighton despite transfer interest from both Liverpool and Tottenham.
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Brighton are closing in on a temporary move for Fati that would see him trade Barcelona for the south coast of England, despite interest from Spurs and Liverpool.
The La Liga champions had outlined the conditions of what a potential exit for Fati would look like amid interest from several Premier League teams, but now Brighton have accepted those terms and are working on finalising the sensational deal.
The 20-year-old has also accepted the deal and is prepared to leave on a season-long loan to Brighton, with De Zerbi said to be crucial to the deal although there is no option for the Seagulls to buy Fati outright during his temporary stay at the Amex Stadium, as they will cover the majority of his salary – with the forward set to travel to Brighton on Thursday.
Spurs had viewed Fati as a potential signing as Ange Postecoglu looked to upgrade his forward options, but may be forced to go for Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson instead in a deal that would be much more costly as Steve Cooper’s side are demanding around £45million for the Welshman.
While Liverpool was eyeing Fati as a potential Mohamed Salah replacement as the Egyptian continues to be heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but the Reds may have to look elsewhere as Brighton have moved first for the Barcelona talent.
Fati had been regarded so highly at Barcelona that he was given the honour of taking on Lionel Messi’s number 10 jersey after the club legend departed for Paris Saint-Germain.
That was after he had already torn the meniscus in his knee, ruling the then-teenager out for nine months and he has since faced further injury issues having been kept out for three months last season with a hamstring problem.
However, if he can rediscover his form at Brighton then he can play a big part in not just their Premier League season – but also the club’s European adventure as they continue to build in the market once again, having recently signed another talented starlet in Carlos Baleba from Lille for £23m.
