FC Barcelona’s midfield planning for the new campaign has taken a complicated shape following confirmation that Frenkie de Jong faces a significant injury layoff, yet the club’s position on Marc Casado has not shifted. According to SPORT, Barcelona continue to consider a permanent departure for the 22-year-old Casado this summer despite the Dutchman’s absence, which is expected to stretch to three to four months.
SPORT has reported that serious ligament damage has been ruled out in De Jong’s case, though the captain will require further medical assessment before a final decision on his treatment is made. Even so, the knee injury means Hansi Flick is set to begin the season without one of his most important midfielders, making Barcelona’s willingness to move Casado on all the more striking.
The rationale from the club’s side rests on their confidence in the midfield options that remain. Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo, and Fermin Lopez are all part of Flick’s senior picture, while La Masia players Tommy Marques and Xavi Espart are considered capable of providing additional depth if required. Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are also viewed as credible options should Flick need a more defensively minded presence in midfield.
That combination of senior versatility and youth-pathway depth appears to be the basis on which Barcelona believe they can absorb De Jong’s absence without needing to recruit a replacement – and without reversing course on Casado. The broader approach of promoting from within while selectively moving on fringe pieces , as their handling of the Barça Atlètic pathway has illustrated.
Casado, who turned 22 in September 2025, has demonstrated first-team capability and occupies a natural defensive midfielder profile – precisely the position De Jong fills and the one most exposed by his injury. Removing both from the immediate squad would leave Flick notably thin at the base of midfield, turn to other midfield alternatives and the positional adaptability of defenders in Christensen and Garcia. Prior reporting, , , making any sale now a meaningful change of direction.
– – means . Any offer that arrives would need to satisfy both the sporting and financial criteria the club have set, and on present evidence, De Jong’s setback is not the factor that will accelerate or block that process. Flick and the sporting department appear to have reached their assessment of the squad’s depth and, for now, it holds even with the captain sidelined.