FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick now has a full squad to count on after his last four missing superstars returned to training on Wednesday.
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FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick now has a full squad to count on after his last four missing superstars returned to training on Wednesday.
On August 12, the rest of Barça’s World Cup winners with Spain – Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Pau Cubarsi – reported for duty at the Joan Gamper CT. They’re now ready to start preseason with their club, following a 1-0 final triumph against Argentina at the MetLife Stadium.
The scorer of the winning goal, Ferran Torres, won’t be joining them of course. After the Catalans reached an agreement in principle with the Qatar-backed outfit, he’s been given permission to keep his distance while an expected move to Paris Saint-Germain is being hashed out.
Barça should get a fixed $57.7 million (€50 million) plus $5.8 million (€5 million) in bonuses as part of the transfer, meaning that the club could masterfully recoup all of the $63.5 million (€55 million) it agreed to pay Manchester City for Ferran’s services in 2021.
Flick has 11 days to work until FC Barcelona’s season debut
Because of having so many players at the World Cup, Barça and bitter rival Real Madrid are starting their 2026/2027 La Liga campaigns a week later than the majority.
While Los Blancos travel to Barcelona for a meeting with Espanyol on August 22nd, Flick’s men are also away at Elche the following evening.
Flick therefore has roughly a week and a half to get the likes of Lamine and Pedri in the best of shape.
Others, however, which were also part of Luis de La Fuente’s immortal Spain squad, have already been hard at work.
Gavi was the first to return after starting Spain’s opening 0-0 Group H draw with Cabo Verde, and then losing his left wing berth to Atletico Madrid’s Alex Baena for the rest of the tournament.
Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia then showed up on August 9, as did Anthony Gordon and Jules Kounde who reached the semifinals in North America with England and France respectively.
Gordon and Kounde played a thrilling third-place playoff against one another which the Three Lions won 6-4 thanks to a Bukayo Saka hat trick.
Kounde could see his place at right back threatened by 2007 La Masia graduate Xavi Espart this term.
Yet Gordon might be a shout for a false 9 role where Flick also sees Lamine capable of offering something if a replacement for Ferran and Robert Lewandowski isn’t brought in by FC Barcelona.
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