Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says he has been “frank” with Ansu Fati about his chances at Barcelona but will support the player if he decides to stay with the Catalan club.
Fati spent last season on loan at English club Brighton and has struggled to get enough playing time since returning to Barcelona last summer.
Speculation continues that Fati could leave on loan again, or even permanently, before the January transfer window closes.
Flick has indicated that all options are open for the 22-year-old ahead of Barca’s return to La Liga action against Getafe on Saturday.
“For me, it’s always important to be honest with the players and I was very honest with Fati,” said the German.
“Of course, it’s his decision, we’ve talked about different possibilities, different ways of dealing with the situation.
“If he wants to stay here, that’s okay, he’s from La Masia, he grew up here, we’ll take care of him. Maybe he can come back the way we want to see him.”
Saturday will see Barcelona play their first La Liga match of 2025.
They are third in the table at the start of the second half of the season, having won just one of their last seven league games, having ended last year’s campaign with a defeat to Atletico Madrid on December 21.
Since then, Barca have won four in a row in other competitions; They won the Copa del Rey over Barbastro and Real Betis, and won the Spanish Super Cup after beating Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.
“We have taken a step forward in the last few games. I am very happy with the team,” Flick said.