What prompted Dro Fernández, Barcelona’s leading talent, to transfer to PSG?
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has dedicated significant effort to Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernández, making it hard for him to accept the news when the 18-year-old midfielder informed him of his departure from the club.
Flick included Dro in Barcelona’s preseason tour last summer, gave him his LaLiga debut in September, and a first UEFA Champions League start in October. However, after tasting top-level football, Dro yearned for more opportunities. With first-team minutes scarce, the young player made the unexpected choice to pursue regular playing time elsewhere, causing a stir within the club.
This week, Dro’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was confirmed, with sources indicating to ESPN that the French club even paid slightly above his €6 million release clause to secure his signature. This clause left Barça powerless to prevent the transfer, which was particularly painful given the involvement of former player and coach Luis Enrique, who is currently the manager at PSG.
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Dro’s sudden exit frustrated Flick, according to club sources who spoke to ESPN. When the news surfaced, the German coach initially expressed a desire to refrain from discussing the matter until the transfer was “finalized.” However, during that same press conference, he mentioned the influence of those surrounding the player, the trust he had placed in him, and his preference to work only with individuals committed to the club.
“If you want to play with Barça, it has to be 100% with your whole heart,” he stated. “All the others, I don’t want.”
Flick, typically calm in public, was addressing the situation while emotions were still high; Dro had only informed him that week of his intention to leave. Club sources revealed that Flick urged him to reconsider. However, the following day, Dro reiterated his decision, clarifying that it was based solely on football considerations, not financial ones.
Flick instructed him to vacate the first-team dressing room; from that point until finalizing his move to PSG, he trained alone. Concurrently, Dro’s agent — former Barça midfielder Ivan de la Peña, who is also a close associate of Luis Enrique — communicated the decision to sporting director Deco, who was equally taken aback.
Barcelona had intended to offer Dro a new contract. They were waiting for him to turn 18, which occurred after their victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa final earlier in January. On the return flight from Saudi Arabia, the club shared a video of teammate Raphinha presenting him with a cake while the squad sang “Happy Birthday.” That marked the last occasion he was seen in Barça colors.
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Sources involved in the negotiations indicated that discussions regarding a new contract never gained momentum, suggesting that Barça should bear some responsibility for this, as they could have acted more swiftly, given the accessibility of the €6 million clause for major European clubs. Barça president Joan Laporta denied this, asserting on Sunday that a renewal agreement had been imminent.
Dro departs after making five appearances for Barça, although he had not played since coming off the bench against Atlético Madrid on December 2. Sources close to the player indicated he felt his path to regular playing time at Barça was obstructed.
Flick employs a system featuring two deep-lying central midfielders and a No. 10, which did not align with Dro’s strengths. The same sources noted that Dro is most effective as one of two advanced midfielders positioned ahead of a holding midfielder. Even in the No. 10 role within Flick’s setup, opportunities were limited, with Fermín López, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha often preferred ahead of him. Dro was also utilized on the flanks, but sources stated that 149 minutes of play — with only 88 touches of the ball — did not reflect a strong belief in him from the coaching staff.
Sources close to the player informed ESPN that, through multiple discussions with Luis Enrique, Dro became convinced that PSG would be a better fit for him at this point in his career. The reigning European champions were not the only club interested in him: Manchester City, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich had all previously expressed interest. When news of his departure emerged, sources indicated that various clubs contacted De la Peña to inquire about the situation; teams that had once deemed a deal impossible were now reconsidering the possibility of signing Dro. Sources close to the player maintained that the PSG agreement was not finalized at that moment, but it is now evident that discussions were already well advanced.
Dro’s ascent accelerated last summer when Arnau Blanco joined Flick’s staff after years in the academy, where he had coached Dro. His enthusiasm for the player positively influenced Flick, and while club sources indicated that a breakthrough was always anticipated, it hastened the young talent’s development.
Dro joined Barça from the Galician club Val Miñor — where Thiago Alcántara also played — at the age of 14 in 2022. Initially nicknamed “Dro” because his brother struggled to pronounce his name, the moniker persisted due to the number of other Pedros he played alongside over the years. Real Madrid had also taken notice of his abilities, but sources involved in his transfer to Barça claimed that Los Blancos “slept” on securing a deal.
Some players easily invite comparisons, and Dro is one of them. Val Miñor coach Javier Roxo told ESPN: “I have not seen anyone as technical as Thiago [Alcántara], but in terms of vision, Dro is possibly ahead of him.” Meanwhile, Luis Pérez Barreiro, another former coach at Val Miñor, likens him to club legend Andrés Iniesta, while current star Pedri has previously named Dro as his favorite emerging player at Barça.
Another coach who worked with Dro compared him to Brazilian legend and Ballon d’Or winner, Kaká. They remarked to ESPN: “Dro’s understanding of the game is significantly above average. He always distinguished himself as a unique player. I always viewed him as being similar to Kaká, even if he played for Real Madrid and AC Milan [not Barça].”
Dro, whose Galician father played amateur football and whose mother hails from the Philippines, made a statement with a remarkable goal in preseason, which quickly led to his competitive debut in LaLiga. A first Champions League start followed against Olympiacos, where he assisted Fermín, becoming the second-youngest player to provide an assist in the competition.
He becomes the latest highly-regarded product of La Masia to leave Barça at a young age. Many seek opportunities outside of Barça. Some — like Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas, Eric García, and Olmo — eventually returned. Others — particularly Jordi Mboula and, to a lesser extent, Ilaix Moriba — never achieve the anticipated level. Meanwhile, the future remains uncertain for players like Xavi Simons (now at Tottenham Hotspur) and Marc Guiu (Chelsea) regarding their ultimate potential in the sport.
Time will reveal which category Dro belongs to, but PSG is acquiring one of the most promising talents to emerge from Barça’s academy in the past five years. Flick’s reaction alone underscores the extent of the loss the young player represents for the club.
