If recent rumours are proven to be accurate, Barcelona ace Ansu Fati could soon be on the way to Monaco on a season-long loan deal.
It's become abundantly clear that, despite Ansu's willingness to earn himself a starting spot in the Barca XI, he isn't part of Hansi Flick's plans.
The German coach had seemingly given the 22-year-old the opportunity to prove himself last season, but the current No.10 can't have impressed too much in training as Ansu rarely made an impact in the 2024/25 campaign.
Considering everything that's already happened to him in his career, it's hard to believe that he's still just 22 years of age and, theoretically, four to five years away from his supposed peak as a player.
Fati became a teen superstar overnight
Back in 2019, Ansu had the footballing world at his feet, and the frequency with which he broke records for Barcelona meant that he became a teen superstar almost overnight.
Once it became clear that Lionel Messi would be leaving the club, it was obvious that supporters of the club would quickly go looking for a suitable replacement to revere, though handing Ansu the coveted No.10 jersey at just 18 years of age has, in hindsight, been nothing but a curse.
Lest we forget that aside from Messi - Barcelona's greatest ever player - the sacred No.10 has been reserved for players such as Ronaldinho, Diego Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo, Juan Roman Riquelme and others.
Ansu might well have become the youngest to both score and assist in a LaLiga game, youngest to score in a Champions League game, etc., but to 'anoint' him as the saviour of the club in its darkest hours was a huge own goal on Barca's part.
Injuries and loss of form saw Ansu sidelined
A meniscus injury in November 2020 kept him sidelined for nine months, but his reward when he returned to action at the start of the following season was to hand him that No.10 shirt.
The pressure of carrying the hopes and dreams of thousands of loyal supporters, coupled with a body that couldn't withstand the rigours of elite-level football, ensured that he remained susceptible to other injuries and was never going to be as good as before.
Barcelona's Ansu Fati picks up another injury during the Copa del Rey match against Athletic Club on January 20, 2022Jose Breton/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Even a loan move to Brighton, where he scored six goals and provided two assists in 33 matches in all competitions, couldn't be deemed a success.
His touch had deserted him, and his play had become forced rather than the more natural way that had defined his career pre-injury.
Fast forward to the present day, and the move to Monaco seems to be edging closer.
Yamal likely to be handed No.10 shirt by Barcelona
Were it to happen, then the likelihood is that the No.10 shirt will be handed to Barcelona's new teen superstar, Lamine Yamal.
At 17 years of age, he's even younger than Fati was when assuming the responsibility of wearing such an iconic shirt, and whilst Lamine hasn't yet suffered injuries to the extent that Ansu did, he has had to quickly learn how to deal with almost instant fame.
He's broken all of Ansu's previous records at the club as well as setting new ones in European competition and for Spain, and whether anyone cares to admit it or not, he is already Barcelona's go-to guy.
In reality, that isn't even the issue for Lamine. It's the constant comparisons to Lionel Messi.
Just because both are predominantly left-footed, both can beat players with ease on the inside or outside, both are adept at scoring and assisting - Lamine managed 18 goals and 25 assists in 24/25 - and both love to cut in off the wing and look for that curling effort into the opposite corner, it doesn't mean they're anywhere close to being the same.
Lamine isn't 'Messi MKII'
Messi's legend was honed over years of playing football of the highest quality, and at the same age as Lamine is now, he'd scored just one goal and made only nine first-team appearances.
That Lamine is already a Barcelona centurion in terms of appearances is not just remarkable but also incredibly dangerous.
Indeed, the inherent need for there to be a 'Messi MKII' at the club has seen common sense often take a back seat.
If the club and Lamine's representatives did and do genuinely have his best interests at heart, then a broader view of his longevity in the squad surely has to be addressed.
The 17-year-old should not only take his cue from what happened with Ansu, but also from Pedri, who had a period not long after he broke into the first team when too much was expected too soon by Barcelona.
Barcelona are setting a dangerous precedent again
Pre-Messi and pre-Guardiola, whilst there was always a clamour for success (as there is at many elite clubs), it wasn't anywhere close to the immediacy in terms of results and performances that's demanded by everyone nowadays.
If clubs are then seen to accede to the same, fast-tracking youngsters into the senior set-up will become a regular occurrence, setting another dangerous precedent.
Lamine Yamal is still riding the crest of a wave at present, but let's wait and see how he copes and how Barcelona react once that wave eventually breaks...