Barcelona head coach Xavi has refused to guarantee that Ansu Fati will remain at Camp Nou for the 2023-24 season amid reports of interest from Arsenal.
Once labelled the heir apparent to Lionel Messi, Fati's Blaugrana career has since been hampered by a number of serious injuries, downgrading him to a bit-part player for Xavi.
All of Raphinha, Gavi and Ferran Torres are also competing for wide starts under Xavi, although Barca have lost former regular Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fati could therefore take on a more prominent role for Barca in the upcoming campaign, and he scored in back-to-back friendly wins over AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur in pre-season.
However, Arsenal are alleged to be considering a summer swoop for the 2002-born attacker, who remains under contract at Barcelona until 2027 with a €1bn (£863.8m) release clause.
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When questioned on Fati's future by reporters, Xavi hailed the 20-year-old as the "future" of Barcelona, but he insisted that he could not make any promises until the window was over.
"I don't understand when you say that I'm not forceful, I don't know what you want me to tell you. Until the market is over we won't know which players will continue or not," Xavi said.
"I'm happy with Ansu, he's the club's heritage, present and future. I don't know how I should say it. That's what I think, then the market will say, there's until August 31.
"I can't say that he'll stay because he doesn't anyway. We are in these circumstances. But I'm happy with him, he's a player of the present and future and is the heritage of the club. From here, we will decide until August 31."
Fati's long-running contract also includes the option to extend for two years until the end of the 2028-29 season, but his future has been the subject of much debate over the past several months.
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Back in March, the attacker's father Bori Fati memorably confessed that he had told his son to leave the club amid his lack of game time, and a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers was mooted.
It was suggested that a part-exchange deal with Ruben Neves was on the cards, but Fati had no interest in a move to Molineux, and Neves joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal instead.
Fati - once of Sevilla's youth academy - has donned the Barcelona colours since joining their youth academy in 2012, and he boasts 29 goals and 10 assists in 109 matches for the Catalan giants.
The attacker enjoyed a productive 2022-23 season with 10 goals and four assists from 51 games in all tournaments, but he only started 12 La Liga matches and two Champions League contests.
Barcelona commence the defence of their La Liga title with a trip to Getafe on Sunday evening.
Ben Knapton
