Barcelona is making steady progress in its preseason preparations for a season in which the main objective is the Champions League, but with doubts and unfinished business in the boardroom. The club still has three players to register, Joan García, Szczesny and Rashford, and needs to make some moves in the transfer market, as well as hoping that Ter Stegen‘s injury is long-term. In terms of departures, Hansi Flick is very clear about who he does not count on, and that list includes Héctor Fort, who has always raised doubts. The German coach has opted for Eric García and he is his trusted choice to play on the right wing alongside Koundé, so a departure for the youth player cannot be ruled out.
Need to sell
The reality at Barcelona is what it is. The club needs to play fair and free up space in its wage bill in order to register players, which is why several players in the squad have been put up for transfer. Barcelona is confident that the fair play issue will be resolved shortly, but the top priority is to make room in the wage bill. Right now, the club has already generated around $22 million from the transfers of Pablo Torre, Pau Victor, Ansu Fati, and Lenglet, but it hasn’t freed up enough salary cap to sign Joan García, Marcus Rashford, and Szczesny. To do that, it’s vital to speed up the transfer process, and it looks like the players who have been ruled out won’t be enough.
A questionable full-back
Throughout the season, there has been talk of a ‘Koundé dependency’ at right-back and the need to turn to the summer transfer market to find competition for the Frenchman, who had been playing every game without a break for months.
However, when the player was injured for the final stretch of the competition, Flick, who did not trust his natural replacement Héctor Fort for the big games, found an emergency solution in Eric García, easing the urgency to go to the market.
Eric García, Flick’s man
Eric García’s arrival in the team in the final stretch of the competition was key. Hansi Flick’s decision to hold off on his departure in January was crucial, as the Catalan’s versatility and performance are one of the strengths of the squad. The coach has played the player at center back, his natural position, and converted him to right back during Koundé’s absence.
His performance has been remarkable and, in fact, he started the preseason against Vissel Kobe in that position again. His performance remained high, even making an appearance. It seems that the pair chosen to rotate on the right wing will be Koundé and Eric García, while Dumfries is also rumored to be an option for the right-back position.
Héctor Fort with the door open
With confidence placed in Eric García, no minutes in the first preseason game and only 638 minutes last season in all competitions, it seems clear that Héctor Fort has no place in Flick’s Barcelona. The young academy player, only 19 years old, has a contract with Barça until 2029, but the club seems open to sealing his transfer, which would be good for the club’s financial situation.
The player has not had much playing time, but he has shown his potential in a top-level team, which makes him attractive to other clubs. In addition to the interest of newly promoted Paris FC, revealed in France, the right-back has other suitors. Mundo Deportivo reveals that teams such as AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, and Mallorca, which has already signed Pablo Torre, are monitoring the youth player’s situation.