Deco delivers parting shot at ex-Barcelona youngster Dro Fernandez after PSG move

Barcelona Director of Football Deco has criticised Dro Fernandez for his exit from the club, after he completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain this week. Showing no resentment for PSG, who poached one their star talents, the focus of his ‘disappointment’ was Dro himself.

Manager Hansi Flick was reportedly furious when he found out that Dro had decided to leave the club. A deal was agreed earlier this week with PSG for €8.5m, above his €6m release clause, and after arriving, Dro declared that it was ‘the best place to develop’. Something that does not appear to have gone down well with Deco.

‘The disappointment stems from…’ – Deco

Ahead of Barcelona’s clash with Copenhagen on Wednesday night, Deco explained how Dro’s exit had come about, and why the club were not particularly happy about it.

“Dro was a boy who turned 16 in January 2024, and in March he signed his first professional contract. During this period, he came to train with us two or three times. We don’t care who the agent is, but rather the player’s profile. At the beginning of last season, he came to train with the first team, Flick liked him, and even though there were several players in that position, the coach took a liking to him. In Dro’s case, he had a €6m release clause, like most players who sign their first contract, and what I could do was explain to him the idea we had for him and the context in which he could develop here.”

“The coach helped, had him in training, and took him along for preseason. The disappointment stemmed partly from that. With all due respect to PSG, which is a spectacular club and where I have friends, like Luis Campos,” Deco told TNT Sports Brasil, as quoted by MD.

‘Sometimes the form and the people are not the correct ones’

Deco went on to explain that he would not have done the same in his shoes, and that the way it was handled was not correct.

“If I were young and at Barcelona, ​​I wouldn’t change, but everyone chooses their own path. We all know there are influences; we don’t know if it’s his parents’ doing, but it’s his decision, not a financial one. We reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain because of our good relationship, but Paris Saint-Germain has no influence on this decision.”

Yesterday Marc Bernal played his most demanding minutes since he returned from the injury, and he showed a good level. Hansi Flick was very clear that he wanted his continuity this month, but he still considers that Bernal needs to take a leap on a physical level to chain… pic.twitter.com/Bg5L1KtjQD

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 29, 2026

“I hope he’s happy and develops as a player, although he shouldn’t hurry, be it here or at Paris Saint-Germain, it would be detrimental. Sometimes the form and the people involved aren’t the right ones.”

“There’s no need to make a drama out of it, he was part of the first team dynamic, like other players, he made that decision and that’s it.”

Dro Fernandez’s reasoning

The reasons given for Dro deciding to make the move were that he felt that he had no chance of usurping Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo in the first team. In addition, PSG manager Luis Enrique traveled to Barcelona to convince him to make the move, a significant gesture. That said, former teammate Gavi was reportedly disappointed with the staff for not giving Dro more opportunities this season.

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