Ferran Torres Misses Training as PSG Move Finalizes
Ferran Torres is already halfway out of Barcelona. The boots stayed in the locker for a second straight day on Thursday, as the forward again missed morning training with Hansi Flick’s squad, with the club’s permission.
Barcelona have kept in place the green light they granted the 26-year-old earlier in the week. He was expected back in full sessions on Wednesday. Instead, he is using that time to close his move to PSG, a transfer the Catalan club has approved and is now trying to finalise.
€55 million deal in sight
Talks between Barcelona and the French and European champions are in the final stretch. Multiple well-sourced reports in Spain and France align on one point: the agreement is almost done.
The structure is clear. The operation is expected to reach around €55 million in total, including add-ons. The last details are being polished in conversations between the two clubs.
On the player’s side, the road is already paved. Ferran has an agreement in place with PSG, and Luis Enrique has drawn up a plan for how to fit the Spain international into his squad. With that framework agreed, Torres is simply waiting for the official nod. Hence the absence from training, again, as both clubs push to close the deal.
World Cup winners drip back into Flick’s plans
While one attacker edges towards the exit, other big names are stepping back onto the grass.
Of the four World Cup winners who returned on Wednesday and were initially handled with individual workloads, three took a step forward on Thursday. Pau Cubarsi, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal all joined the main group at the start of the session, easing into collective work under Flick’s eye.
Pedri was the exception. The midfielder stayed inside, continuing his programme in the gym and skipping the on-pitch drills, as the staff manage his fitness carefully ahead of the new season.
Six in limbo as Barcelona trim the squad
Not everyone has a clear path. For a cluster of youngsters, this pre-season feels more like a waiting room.
Marc Casado, Hector Fort, Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marques, Guille Fernandez and Toni Fernandez all trained away from the main group again. They remain on the fringes while the club works through exits and loan options.
Their situation is delicate. Barcelona are under pressure to slim down the squad and create space, both in the dressing room and on the wage bill, for Flick’s core group. Until moves are found, the six hover in that uncomfortable middle ground: close enough to the first team to taste it, not close enough to be part of Flick’s immediate plans.
Academy faces stay close to the top
Not every youngster is being pushed to the side. Some are still firmly under Flick’s orders as he shapes his pre-season group.
Among the reserve-team players training with the first team are Aron Yaakobishvili — himself close to a move to Almeria — Alvaro Cortes, Xavi Espart, Jordi Pesquer, Ebrima Tunkara, Orian Goren, Brian Farinas and forward Hamza Abdelkarim.
They continue to work daily with the senior squad while Barcelona lock in their final decisions. With Ferran Torres on the verge of joining PSG and others set to depart, the door to the first team is moving. The question now is who will still be standing on the right side of it when Flick’s real season begins.
