Barcelona have established their pre-season base at St George’s Park in Staffordshire under manager Hansi Flick’s direction. The La Liga champions elected to conduct their training camp in the English Midlands rather than pursue a traditional long-haul tour to the United States, a decision influenced by the scheduling demands of their players’ involvement in the recent World Cup.
A 30-man squad arrived in Birmingham on Monday and has begun intensive preparation, with training sessions utilizing the facilities designated for the England senior team. The club faces two warm-up fixtures during this phase: a match against Championship side Birmingham at St Andrew’s on Friday, followed by a closed-door contest against Preston at St George’s Park. These arrangements were partly shaped by the staggered return of Barcelona players from international duty following their World Cup participation.
Barcelona’s squad composition reflects both senior and development-level players. Eight World Cup winners, including midfielder Lamine Yamal, remain on post-tournament leave. Meanwhile, summer acquisition Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund has been incorporated into the camp. Several senior internationals remain unavailable, including England’s Anthony Gordon, Brazil’s Raphinha, France’s Jules Kounde, and Uruguay’s Ronald Araujo. Additionally, midfielder Fermín Lopez continues his recovery from a foot injury sustained in May.
Notable inclusions in the traveling party include Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, despite a knee injury sustained at the World Cup that was originally expected to sideline him for an extended period. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who had been anticipated to join Ajax on loan, is also present after no deal was finalized. Following their matches in England, Barcelona are scheduled to participate in the Friuli Venezia Giulia tournament in Italy on August 8, facing Nottingham Forest and Udinese in two 45-minute contests.
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