“Messi’s replacement going on loan at 20”, “Finished player” - Fans shocked as Barcelona attacker agrees surprise loan move

Fans are shocked, as Barcelona forward Ansu Fati has reportedly agreed to join Brighton & Hove Albion on loan this summer.

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Fati will join the Seagulls on a season-long loan deal with no buy option or obligation. Brighton will cover a big part of his salary as well.

That comes as a big surprise, as Fati was touted by many as Lionel Messi's replacement after the Argentine's Camp Nou departure in 2021. The Spaniard was even handed the coveted No. 10 shirt at Barcelona.

However, things haven't quite panned out the way he would have wanted since making his senior debut for Barca in 2020. Fati has gone through multiple big injuries and has made 112 senior appearances, scoring 29 goals and providing 10 assists.

The 20-year-old made 51 appearances across competitions last season and registered 10 goals and four assists but started just 14 games.

He will now join Brighton for the 2023-24 season. The Seagulls have shown massive improvement in recent years, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League last season for the first time.

However, fans are still surprised to see Fati leave Barcelona to join Brighton, with one tweeting:

"Messi replacement is going on loan at 20"

Another tweeted:

"FINISHED PLAYER"

Here're some more reactions on X:

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Barcelona closing in on signing Joao Cancelo this summer

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Blaugrana are set to sign Joao Cancelo on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

The Portuguese full-back has fallen out of favor under manager Pep Guardiola. He spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Bayern Munich, but the German side didn't trigger his buy option worth £70 million.

Cancelo has returned to Manchester City but is set to join Barcelona on loan. The Blaugrana are also willing to not include a buy option in the deal to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Romano reported on Twitter:

"Barcelona are prepared to remove the buy option clause from João Cancelo deal to get Financial Fair Play approval after agreement reached."

"Deal to be sealed on straight loan until June 2024 — keeping that number as reference for verbal talks next year."

Since arriving from Juventus in 2019, Cancelo made 154 appearances for Manchester City, scoring nine goals and providing 22 assists, across competitions.