Brighton & Hove Albion sign Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona

The 20-year-old joins the Seagulls having been linked with a host of Europe's biggest clubs since bursting onto the scene with Barcelona as a 16-year-old.

The signing represents a major coup for Brighton, bringing in a player who only missed two La Liga games last season as Barcelona won the title for the first time in four years.

"This is a great deal for all of us. I am sure Ansu will help us to reach a new target and we can help him get back at the level he deserves to be," said manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Technical director David Weir added: "We are delighted to bring Ansu to the club. He is one of the most highly-rated young players in the world and arrives with an impressive amount of experience both domestically and in European competition, despite his age.

"This season is the biggest in the club's history and we're really happy that a player of Ansu's quality is going to be part of it.

"We will give him the opportunity to embed himself in the squad and to get used to working with Roberto, but naturally we're excited to see him in a Brighton shirt."

Fati enjoyed a memorable breakthrough campaign in 2019-20 having progressed through the famed Barcelona academy, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club's history and in Champions League history.

Barcelona rewarded Fati with a new contract that contained a €1bn (£857m) release clause, while numerous reports claimed that the Spanish giants deemed the youngster unsellable despite interest from clubs around Europe.

Despite still featuring regularly, a mixture of injuries and the form of others has seen Fati slip down the pecking order at Barcelona under Xavi.

The Spanish champions have now allowed him to join Brighton on loan for the rest of this season, when he will attempt to help them back up their best-ever top-flight finish last term.

The agreement is understood to not include any option or obligation to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

Fati becomes Brighton's eighth signing of a busy summer, following Joao Pedro, Carlos Baleba, Bart Verbruggen, Igor, Adrian Mazilu, Mahmoud Dahoud and James Milner through the door.

The nine-time Spain international could make his debut for the Seagulls when they host Newcastle United at the Amex Stadium in Saturday's late Premier League kickoff.

De Zerbi's men currently sit sixth in the early Premier League table having won two and lost one of their opening three games, while they will also now begin to gear up for their maiden Europa League campaign, having been drawn in a group alongside Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens.