At Barcelona, it has become clear that the club intends to sell Ansu Fati during the upcoming summer transfer window. The primary objective of this move is to secure a financial return of between €15 and €20 million. However, President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco are well aware that convincing any club to pay that amount for a player who has made only a handful of appearances this season will be extremely difficult. Therefore, the option of loaning him out — or even allowing him to leave for free — remains on the table.
This decision would help relieve the club of Fati’s high salary and also free up the number 10 shirt, which he has worn since Lionel Messi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain. The iconic number was previously worn by legends such as Michael Laudrup, Diego Maradona, and Ronaldinho. The pressure associated with it has weighed heavily on Fati’s career from the beginning.
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Lamine Yamal is currently considered the most likely candidate to succeed Fati and inherit the number 10 jersey — especially after establishing himself as one of the standout players in the first team, despite being only 17 years old. He is already regarded as one of the best young talents in the world and a strong future contender for the Ballon d’Or.
However, according to information from the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, new coach Hansi Flick does not appear inclined to place additional pressure on Yamal at this stage. He prefers to continue the player’s gradual development within the team, without assigning him such a major symbolic responsibility for now. Flick believes it would be best for Yamal to continue wearing the number 19 shirt, which he currently wears.
In this context, Flick has advised both Laporta and Deco not to give in to pressure from Nike, which reportedly prefers assigning the number 10 to Yamal for its significant marketing value. However, the German coach believes the number should be given to a more experienced and mature player, and has specifically suggested Dani Olmo for this role.
Olmo, an important figure in the Spanish national team, has had a strong season despite some injury setbacks — scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 28 appearances. He currently wears the number 10 shirt for Spain under coach Luis de la Fuente and shone at the recent European Championship, where he won the tournament’s top scorer award.
The question now lies with Barcelona’s management: will they follow Flick’s advice and hand the number 10 shirt to Olmo? Or will they yield to Nike’s pressure and assign it to Lamine Yamal?
