Barcelona have been pushing hard in pre-season under boss Hansi Flick, with training sessions at Ciutat Esportiva offering an early glimpse into the manager’s tactical blueprint.
The German coach has wasted no time evaluating his squad, using every session to assess who fits into his long-term plans and who may soon be surplus to requirements.
Fitness remains a concern for some key names, and not every first-team regular will be making the trip to the Far East.
Summer signings have been bedding in well, with Marcus Rashford set to join the squad.
The club’s blend of experienced internationals and exciting youngsters suggests Flick’s pre-season tour will be anything but ordinary.
All eyes now shift to Asia, where Barcelona are set to play friendlies in Japan and South Korea starting this week.
After nearly ten days of training, the Catalan giants will depart this Thursday, with Flick set to take more players than initially expected.
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The original plan was to name a 26-man squad, but according to AS, the final list will be closer to 30.
That means most of the senior squad will be included, with only three first-team players staying behind – Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Oriol Romeu and Pau Victor.
Ter Stegen remains sidelined due to persistent back issues and may require surgery in the coming days.
Romeu, meanwhile, is not part of Flick’s plans and is reportedly in talks with Valencia.
Victor has been excluded at the last minute after receiving a transfer offer from SC Braga.
Injured duo Gerard Martin and Marc Bernal, despite not being cleared to play, will travel as they’ve been involved in training throughout.
Back-up keeper Inaki Pena and defender Andreas Christensen are also on the plane, even though both players could still leave this summer.
In addition to Rashford and Bardghji, youngsters Jofre Torrents and Pedro Fernandez ‘Dro’ have been called up to the pre-season tour, with late additions including promising goalkeeper Diego Kochen and cousins Toni and Guille Fernandez.
Flick’s expanded squad underlines his intent to evaluate every option before the season kicks off.
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