Josep Maria Bartomeu last week gave an interview to the Spanish media in which he tried to defend himself against allegations he ruined Barcelona during his time as the club’s president.
The former chief’s slant was largely that the financial situation was made much worse by Covid-19 and the subsequent economic impact, and that his priority had always been success on the pitch, putting winning trophies above any other factor.
As an example of that, he said he’d rejected a €150m offer for Ansu Fati, which he stated had arrived from an English club. Given a Manchester United bid of that amount had previously been reported by the Catalan media, it was easy to make the assumption he was referring to an offer from Old Trafford.
Mundo Deportivo now take that as fact, and in an article on Fati’s potential renewal and interest from elsewhere, they say: ‘Manchester United already made a great offer for him, as confirmed by former president Bartomeu’
Given he’s no longer the president, he could probably have named United directly, without too much comeback if the bid had been genuine. However, naming the club would have given them an opportunity to make an outright denial.
Mundo Deportivo report multiple clubs have been asking about signing the youngster, including sides from England, yet a renewal is considered the likeliest outcome.
