Barcelona’s business in the closing days of the transfer window has extended well beyond the club’s senior squad.
Hansi Flick’s first-team rebuild has understandably dominated headlines, but several academy graduates have quietly had their own futures resolved in parallel.
Marc Casado, Hector Fort and Alvaro Cortes have all been linked with exits in recent weeks as the German coach’s plans leave little room for fringe options.
One more talented academy product now looks set to follow that same path out of Camp Nou.
Toni Fernandez is set to leave Barcelona for Serie A, with Fabrizio Romano confirming, via X, that Venezia have reached a verbal agreement to sign the 18-year-old.
Romano gave his trademark “Here we go” confirmation as the move edged into place, with Venezia agreeing to pay a €4million fee for the highly rated attacker.
The deal is expected to include a 50 per cent sell-on clause and a buy-back option, protections sporting director Deco was keen to secure before sanctioning the sale.
Toni Fernandez had drawn interest from clubs across the Bundesliga, Serie A and Premier League before ultimately deciding Venezia’s project offered the clearest path to regular first-team football.
His contract at Barcelona was due to expire next summer, adding urgency to negotiations and strengthening Venezia’s hand in the closing stages of talks.
Fernandez made 25 appearances for Barca Atletic last season, scoring five goals and providing three assists as one of the reserve side’s standout performers.
He has already tasted senior involvement too, included in Barcelona’s squad for several La Liga and Champions League fixtures back in 2024, though he remained on the bench throughout.
Despite completing pre-season training with Flick’s first team this summer, it became clear he was not part of the manager’s plans for the campaign ahead, with a return to Barca Atletic also ruled out internally.
The structure of the deal echoes Como’s move for Nico Paz from Real Madrid, where a smaller Serie A club paid a modest fee while the selling side retained significant long-term interest in the player’s future value.
That trend has become increasingly common among Europe’s biggest clubs, who are turning to smaller sides willing to offer regular minutes as a way of protecting a young player’s resale value.
Fernandez’s cousin, Guille, is also expected to leave Barcelona before the transfer window closes, continuing a busy summer of academy departures at the club.
Primarily an attacking midfielder by trade, Fernandez is also capable of playing from wider areas, giving Venezia flexibility over how they use him once the move is finalised.
Venezia’s project, built around developing promising young talent following their promotion back to Serie A, appears to have been the deciding factor in his decision.
Barcelona’s willingness to include such firm buy-back protections suggests the club still sees genuine long-term value in a player they simply cannot accommodate right now.
🚨🇪🇸 Venezia reach verbal agreement to sign Toni Fernandez from Barcelona, here we go!
Deal in place at €4m fee plus 50% sell-on clause and buy back clause also wanted by Deco.
18 year old talent will play in Serie A. pic.twitter.com/EzvxKHccSK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2026
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