Barcelona's Squad Changes Under Hansi Flick: Fort and Casado's Futures

Barcelona’s quiet clear-out under Hansi Flick has taken a sharp, uncomfortable twist.

What began as a calculated trimming of the first-team squad has been jolted by misfortune, and two young Spaniards have now been pushed a step closer to the exit.

Bardghji blow changes the mood

Roony Bardghji was supposed to be one of the summer’s solutions. Barcelona viewed the Swedish winger as a player who needed minutes elsewhere, either on loan or in a permanent deal, to accelerate his development and free up space in Flick’s group.

Instead, he went down in training with a serious knee injury. A cruel break, and one that rules him out for the foreseeable future.

The knock-on effect has been immediate. According to journalist Nil Sola on Carrusel Deportivo, Barça have instructed Hector Fort and Marc Casado to train individually in the aftermath of Bardghji’s injury, underlining just how firm the club’s stance is on their futures.

Both have been told, in essence, to find new teams before the new season kicks off.

Isolated sessions, uncertain futures

On Tuesday, Fort and Casado worked away from the main group, following separate programmes rather than joining Flick’s core squad.

The club frames it as a precaution: with their futures unresolved and the transfer window entering its decisive stretch, Barça want to avoid unnecessary risks, injuries, or complications that could derail potential moves.

They have been involved throughout pre-season, ticking off minutes and doing enough to stay in the conversation, but not enough to alter the coach’s plans. Flick has seen them up close. For now, that seems to have confirmed, not challenged, the idea that they are expendable.

At their age, lingering on the fringes without a clear route to first-team minutes is a dangerous kind of comfort. Barça know it. So do the players.

Fort, talented but blocked

Hector Fort’s case stings a little more.

By all accounts, the young defender has the tools. Composed on the ball, tactically disciplined, and solid whenever called upon, he has rarely looked out of place in a Barcelona shirt. His pre-season performances did not betray any nerves or glaring weaknesses.

But timing is everything at a club of this size.

With Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia both viewed as genuine right-back options, and with highly rated youngster Xavi Espart already pushing from behind, Fort finds himself boxed in. The pathway he needs is clogged by established names and another prodigy.

At another club, in another cycle, he might already be a rotation regular. At Barça, “good” is often the bare minimum. “Good” doesn’t always survive the cut.

Casado ready for a reset

Marc Casado’s trajectory has taken a different, more volatile route.

He enjoyed an excellent first season under Flick, breaking through with the kind of energy and control that suggested a long-term role in midfield. The second season, though, never truly settled. Form, opportunities, rhythm – none of it quite aligned.

The talent remains obvious, but the context has shifted. Barcelona’s midfield is deep, layered with options, and the expected arrival of Rodri only tightens the squeeze.

From the club’s perspective, a sale now makes sense. For Casado, a move might be exactly what he needs: a new environment, guaranteed minutes, and the responsibility that comes with being a central figure rather than a peripheral one.

A decisive few weeks

The message from Barça is clear. Fort and Casado are no longer just academy hopefuls hovering around the first team; they are assets on the market, encouraged to turn potential into careers somewhere else.

The next few weeks will define their immediate futures. Offers must arrive, choices must be made, and careers that once seemed tied to Camp Nou may soon be unfolding in different colours.

Whether they continue to train alone until those moves materialise is still to be seen. What is certain is that, under Flick, sentiment will not slow the rebuild.