Hansi Flick's Urgent Push for Karim Adeyemi at Barcelona
Hansi Flick wants his Barcelona era to start at full speed, not with a gentle jog.
And at the top of his wish list, right now, is Karim Adeyemi.
The new Barça coach is pushing for the Borussia Dortmund winger to be signed in time to walk through the doors of the training ground on Monday, when the Blaugrana report back for the start of pre-season. According to Gerard Romero, Flick “hopes that Adeyemi will be with the group on Monday at the start of the Blaugrana preseason,” underlining how urgently the club are moving behind the scenes.
It is an ambitious play. Barcelona have already caused a stir by lodging a bid for the 24-year-old, a forward whose pace and direct running fit neatly into Flick’s high-tempo blueprint. Adeyemi is said to be keen on the move to Camp Nou, attracted by the chance to reboot his career in a new system and under a coach who knows him well.
The personal side of the deal is not the problem. Adeyemi has reportedly already agreed terms with Barcelona, clearing one of the biggest hurdles in any major transfer. Now the negotiation narrows to a straight fight over numbers: Barça and Dortmund must find common ground on the fee before Flick’s deadline for pre-season arrives.
Time is tight. Barcelona’s squad returns next week, but the first sessions will be missing many of the club’s headline names, with a large chunk of the dressing room either still at World Cup 2026 or on holiday after their exertions at the tournament. Flick will begin work with a reduced group, a skeleton version of the team he will eventually lead into the new season.
That is precisely why he wants Adeyemi in the building from day one.
With so many stars absent, the early weeks of pre-season offer a rare window for a new signing to absorb ideas, build chemistry and stake a claim. Flick’s preference is clear: he wants the former Dortmund man learning the pressing triggers, the positional rotations and the attacking patterns before the full squad is back together.
There is also history here. Flick and Adeyemi know each other from their time with the German national team, where the coach got a close look at the winger’s raw speed and vertical threat. That familiarity now shapes Barcelona’s transfer strategy. Flick is not gambling on potential he has only watched from afar; he is trying to reunite with a player he has already coached and trusts.
For Barcelona, still wrestling with financial constraints and squad rebuilding, this is more than just another attacking option. It is a statement about how Flick wants his team to play and how quickly he intends to impose his ideas.
Now the clock is ticking on Dortmund’s answer. Will Adeyemi be lining up in Blaugrana colours when Flick blows the first whistle of pre-season on Monday, or will this reunion have to wait?
