Barcelona have been left stunned after teenager Dro Fernández informed the club of his desire to leave this January by exercising his €6 million ($7m) release clause, sources have told ESPN.
Fernández has made five first-team appearances this season and is highly rated by coach Hansi Flick.
He turned 18 this week and celebrated with a cake, given to him by teammate Raphinha, on the flight back from Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final win against Real Madrid.
The expectation at Barça had been that he would renew his contract now that he is 18, allowing them to increase his €6m clause.
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However, sources explain that the club have been rocked by the communication from the player and his camp this week that he plans to leave, as first reported by Diario Sport.
Fernández has been incorporated into the first team group and given minutes in both the Champions League and LaLiga, factors which club sources feel show a clear pathway for him to succeed at Spotify Camp Nou.
It is not yet clear where Fernández plans to move to, with sources confirming to ESPN Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs who have shown a strong interest.
However, clubs across Europe, especially in Germany and England, have been tracking the talented attacking midfielder for years, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea among the other teams who are known to have been interested in the past, per sources.
Paris Saint-Germain are another side, through coach Luis Enrique, who is close friends with Fernández’s agent, Ivan de la Peña, who have been touted as a possible destination.
Fernández joined Barça as a 14-year-old in 2022 and has quickly progressed through the academy, earning comparisons with the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Pedri.
He announced himself on the first-team stage with a stunning strike in preseason against Daegu FC and later made his competitive debut against Real Sociedad in LaLiga.
A first Champions League start followed against Olympiacos, when he created a goal for Fermín López to become the second-youngest player to provide an assist in Europe’s premier competition, after United States international Giovanni Reyna.
