Barcelona and Ansu Fati agent discuss contract length

However, this claim is debated by both Mendes and the player’s father, who say that this is not appropriate because the deal was signed when the player was a youth-team player.

That means that there is a difference in interpretation of Paragraph 18 of the FIFA regulations. 

Point 2 of that paragraph specifies that “the maximum duration of a contract will be five years…players under 18 years of age (as was the case with Ansu when it was signed) cannot sign a contract of professionals of a duration greater than three years. Any clause of a longer period is not accepted.”

Accordingly, the Blaugrana believe their two-year extension option is still on the table but that is argued since it would not be within FIFA regulations to allow such an extension.

Undoubtedly the player would be keen to renew his contract, but this distinction is important in the negotiating position of the agent and would weaken the Catalan club’s bargaining point.

Fati is now one of the established strikers at the club along with Lionel Messi and is trying to prove himself ahead of the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, and Francisco Trincao.

He has also played for Spain in recent times – scoring one goal in four international appearances having earned his first cap in September, while he has scored five goals in 10 games for his club this campaign.

However, Fati is injured until March as the club confirmed he had undergone e knee surgery earlier this month.