FC Barcelona have sanctioned the departure of one of their promising young midfielders as congestion in the centre of the park continues to reshape their summer plans. Braga have reached a €10m agreement with the Blaugranes to sign 19-year-old La Masia graduate Tommy Marqués, according to The Athletic.
The structure of the deal involves an initial €10m fee with a further €2m available in add-ons, taking the potential total value to €12m. Personal terms between Marqués and the Portuguese club are not expected to present any obstacle, though they had yet to be finalised at the time of reporting.
Marqués made his senior breakthrough for the Catalans in February, coming off the bench against Mallorca, and went on to make one further La Liga appearance from the bench across the remainder of the campaign. That limited sample underlines the scale of the challenge he faced in breaking into Hansi Flick’s rotation.
The timing of the sale is tied to Barcelona’s business elsewhere in midfield. The Blaugranes have reached an agreement in principle worth €76.5m (£65.3m) with Manchester City for Rodri, a deal that further deepens an already crowded holding-midfield picture for Flick. With Marqués seeking regular minutes amid senior competition, Barcelona sanctioned the sale, which will help the club balance its books.
For Braga, the arrival of Marqués caps an extensive recruitment drive that has already brought in Denis Huseinbasic and Jonas Wind on free transfers, alongside goalkeeper Bernardo and defensive additions Sergio Barcia, Adrian Bajrami and Adrian Barisic. The Portuguese side, who finished fourth domestically last season and reached the Europa League semi-finals before losing to Freiburg, next face Austria Wien in Conference League qualifying on Thursday, August 20. The fixture will be an early test for Braga’s heavily rebuilt squad.
