Ansu Fati’s father Bori has put Barcelona on red alert after hitting out at the club for his son’s lack of minutes this season.
Fati had burst onto the scene as a teenager with the La Masia before he went on to inherit Lionel Messi’s No.10 shirt at the club.
The 20-year-old has been forced to overcome injury setbacks, but has since struggled to force his way into Xavi’s starting line-up.
Fati has started just nine times in the league for the La Liga leaders this season, with the Spanish international making 15 appearances from the bench.
His father Bori told Spanish radio station Cope he was angry about the situation and revealed he has told Ansu to leave the club.
Bori said a meeting will take place with his agent Jorge Mendes next month due to his son’s lack of playing time. He revealed Ansu remains determined to succeed at Barcelona, with club directors Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany insisting he is part of the club’s plans.
‘At Barca they tell me that they have bet a lot on Ansu, they tell me that clearly,’ Bori Fati said. ‘When I sat down with Jorge Mendes, the first thing he told me was that Ansu wants to stay and will continue playing for Barcelona.
‘But I, as a father, thought otherwise, and Ansu doesn’t agree with that. ‘What bothers me is how they are treating Ansu for minutes. One minute, two minutes, three minutes, that’s what bothers me.’
Bori insisted he has no issue with Barcelona head coach Xavi, but admitted his disappointment as a father.
Spanish reports claimed last month that Mendes has been looking at potential options for Fati as he seeks regular first-team action.
The forward reportedly remains determined to stay with the Catalan giants and is contracted until 2027.
Bori admitted he ‘often thinks of Sevilla’, where the family moved to from Guinea-Bissau, while claiming he would not rule out a move to Real Madrid in the future.
‘I think a lot about Sevilla, about going home,’ Bori said. ‘Right now I wouldn’t value an offer from Madrid, because Ansu wouldn’t accept it. I can’t put Ansu where he doesn’t want to.
‘But I will never speak ill of Madrid because they are two clubs very big and you never know what the world is going to bring you. ‘You never know where it is going to take you.’