Flick's early return sets Barcelona's pre‑season agenda

German coach Hansi Flick will resume duties at FC Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva this week, ahead of the squad’s return on 13 July. He briefly paused his holiday last week to attend Joan Laporta’s presidential inauguration before heading back to work. Flick’s first tasks include shaping the pre‑season training programme with his coaching staff. He will also coordinate with sporting director Deco, who is currently in the United States following the World Cup. Training officially starts on 13 July with medical examinations, after which the team will travel to St. George’s Park in England for a camp from 27 July to 3 August. Barcelona will play a closed‑door friendly against CE Europa on 24 July at the Ciutat Esportiva, then face Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s Stadium on 31 July. An away match against Udinese in Italy is set for 8 August, and the Joan Gamper Trophy will be hosted on 19 August, with the opponent yet to be confirmed.

Barcelona banks on De Jong’s fitness despite World Cup injection saga

Because many players remain at the World Cup, Flick can only rely on a limited senior group at the start of pre‑season. Available seniors include goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, full‑backs Alejandro Balde and Andreas Christensen, and defenders Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal and Roony Bardghji. Mid‑fielder Fermin Lopez will join once he recovers from the injury that kept him out of the World Cup. Youth prospect Xavi Espart is among the youngsters expected to train with the first team. Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong, already cleared from the World Cup, are likely to travel to the England camp, and more academy players could follow depending on squad needs. Barcelona have already secured Anthony Gordon, but still need a new centre‑forward after Robert Lewandowski’s departure. Julian Alvarez is identified as the priority target, while the club also aims to re‑sign Joao Cancelo permanently. The futures of Marc‑Andre ter Stegen, Marc Casado, Hector Fort and Roony Bardghji remain undecided, which could open further opportunities for academy graduates.