Barcelona upset at 'unpleasant' situation as wonderkid set to jump ship to PSG

Martin Macdonald

• 26 Jan 2026 07:01 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

Barcelona wonderkind Dro Fernandez is set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain this week after the French giants triggered his €8 million release clause.

Fernandez is viewed as one of the most promising youngsters in La Masia and Barca had high hopes for his future, even negotiating with the player over a new contract. However, PSG have apparently offered a more lucrative deal.

The Blaugrana have well-documented financial problems so the low transfer fee also comes as a blow, in addition to losing the player himself.

The relationship between Barcelona and PSG is tense and has been since PSG triggered Neymar's €222m release clause to make the Brazilian the most expensive player in history, while Lionel Messi's switch move to France also left a sour taste in the mouth for Barca.

Pedro "Dro" Fernández - Full Season Highlights | 2024/2025 | Good Luck at PSG

Dro leaves Barcelona after 3.5 years at the club, leaving for around €8m, while last season picking up 5 goals for Juvenil A and 7 goals & 9 assists for Juvenil B. pic.twitter.com/iXYzDMXhOn

— ArsenKveFCB (@ArsenKveFCB) January 25, 2026

President Joan Laporta admits the deal has ultimately come as a surprise as they were in the process of securing a new deal for Fernandez.

“We will speak when everything is closed,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio.

“It has been an unpleasant situation. We could have redirected this situation as it had been proposed, but it has been a surprise because we had agreed on a new solution with Dro when he turned 18. Surprisingly, his agent told us that he would not be able to fulfil what was agreed.”

Barcelona blow

Flick has described the deal to those close to him as his “biggest disappointment”, according to Catalan paper Sport.

The German was, after all, the man who had nurtured him towards first-team football, including handing him his debut in the club’s pre-season tour of Asia. Dro scored on debut and clearly made a big impression with the coach.

“He trained with us previously at the end of last season and that’s why he’s here. He is a great talent and again La Masia did a fantastic job,” Flick said after the 17-year-old netted against Vissel Kobe.

“It wasn’t only because of the goal, but also because of how he relates to the ball. He has to improve, of course. In midfield, we have a lot of quality and it’s not easy to play there, not only for him, but also for the rest.”

Dro has since gone on to play five times for Barca’s first-team, starting twice and generating an assist in the Champions League win over Olympiacos in October.

Now that the deal is nearing it's completion, Flick told reporters:

"As a coach, what we do is give confidence to the players. You try to believe in them so that they grow. I also know that there are people around him. I want to wait for this to be a thing of the past. If he decides to change clubs, then we will deal with it. Now is not the time."

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