Winger joined the Ligue 1 club on loan last season; transfer ends 15-year relationship with Barcelona
AS Monaco have signed Ansu Fati from Barcelona in a permanent deal worth about £9.5m (€11m), with the forward signing a contract until 2030.
The 23-year-old joins after a successful loan spell last season, when he scored 12 goals in 30 appearances and did enough to convince the Ligue 1 club to make the move permanent.
The transfer ends Fati’s 15-year relationship with Barcelona, where he emerged as one of Europe’s brightest young talents. He made his first-team debut at the age of 16 and was generally seen as a player who could lead the club into a new era after Lionel Messi’s departure.
But his progress was slowed by a series of injuries. A serious knee injury early in the 2020-21 season kept him out for several months, and further fitness problems made it difficult for him to regain a regular place in the team.
Barcelona still handed Fati the club’s No 10 shirt after Messi left in 2021, but he struggled to match the form he had shown before his injury setbacks. A loan spell at Brighton in 2023 was also disrupted by injuries.
Fati returned to Barcelona for the 2024-25 season but found opportunities limited under Hansi Flick. He leaves the Spanish champions after scoring 29 goals in 123 appearances.
Born in Guinea-Bissau, Fati moved to Seville as a child before joining Barcelona’s academy in 2012. He has also won 10 caps for Spain and was part of their squad at the 2022 World Cup.
Monaco will hope Fati can build on last season’s form as they prepare for the new Ligue 1 campaign following his permanent return to the Principality club.
