Aston Villa join Arsenal, Tottenham in heated race for €50m Barcelona star Xavi could be forced to sell

Tottenham and Aston Villa are set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Barcelona winger Ansu Fati, according to reports.

The 20-year-old is thought to be a key target for the Premier League trio, and Barcelona could be forced to sell him due to their ongoing financial struggles.

Just a week ago, Xavi said Fati is Barcelona’s ‘present and future’ and ‘part of the club’s heritage.’ Reports now suggest, however, that a sizeable bid could see him move on.

The winger made his first appearance for Barca aged just 16 and he has always been tipped to become a superstar in the future. However, injuries and a lack of consistent minutes have stunted his development.

Fati has made 111 appearances for the Spanish giants in total, scoring 29 goals and making 10 assists in the process.

As reported by TEAMtalk, Arsenal are pushing to sign the youngster before the transfer window closes, with Mikel Arteta thought to be a big admirer of his.

Tottenham have also been linked with a move for Fati in the past, so there is certainly no shortage of interest in his signature.

Aston Villa plot triple Barca raid

According to reports from Spain, as cited by The Hard Tackle, Aston Villa are firmly in the race for Fati, with Tottenham also interested, as mentioned.

It’s claimed that a deal could be struck for a fee of €50 (£42.9m), as Barcelona look to generate some much-needed transfer funds of their own.

It’s no secret that the Catalans are struggling financially at the moment and as a result, could part ways with several of their players before the transfer window closes.

This is good news from Unai Emery’s point of view, who has already added quality players like Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo and Youri Tielemans to his Aston Villa squad this summer.

Fati could help take the Villains to the next level this season, as they prepare to compete in European football for the first time since 2010.

Interestingly, Fati isn’t the only Barcelona player Aston Villa want to sign this summer. Both left-back Marcos Alonso and another winger, Abde Ezzalzouli have been linked with the Midlands club recently.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Aston Villa, Tottenham or Arsenal do make a concrete bid for Fati in the next few days.