Barca loses a host of stars before the new season

Barcelona Femení enters the new season with major questions about its squad, despite having just completed a brilliantly successful campaign. A series of key players have left one after another, pushing the European champions into an unprecedented personnel crisis.

After closing the season with a quadruple, Barcelona Femení faced an incredible paradox. The strongest team in Europe continuously said goodbye to its key players,while the reinforcements have not yet been commensurate.

The joy of lifting all four trophies in the 2025/26 season was quickly overshadowed by a mass exodus at Barcelona Femení. As of now, seven players have left the team, while the only new addition is 19-year-old defender Renee van Asten from Ajax.

More worryingly, those who left are among the most important players in coach Pere Romeu's squad.

Alexia Putellas, the two-time Women's Ballon d'Or winner, ended her 14-year journey with Barcelona to move to London City Lionesses on a free transfer. The departure of the club's biggest icon without bringing in any transfer fee has raised questions about Barcelona's contract management.

Mapi León also chose London City Lionesses as her destination. In England, the duo will reunite with three former teammates: Jana Fernández, María Pérez, and Lucía Corrales.

Ona Batlle joined Arsenal, where she will play alongside former Barcelona player Mariona Caldentey. Meanwhile, Salma Paralluelo has not yet announced her new destination, but Paris Saint-Germain is seen as the leading candidate after negotiations with Chelsea collapsed.

The English Women's Super League is becoming a familiar destination for Barcelona players. As many as 14 out of 19 players who have left the Catalan club since 2024 have moved to clubs in England.

On the other hand, Barcelona has only made two new signings and promoted two academy players to the first team in the same period. Before returning to training on July 27, the Champions League winners' squad had only 17 first-team players, including two goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders, and three forwards.

The main cause of the squad crisis is related to the men's team's financial fair play regulations continuing to affect the entire club. The wage bill and budget for the women's team have been tightened, preventing Barcelona from competing with attractive offers from English clubs.

In previous seasons, the La Masia academy regularly provided quality replacements. Aïcha Camara and Clara Serrajordi played important roles in the quadruple-winning campaign last season.

But even the youth ranks are suffering from a talent drain. Txell Font moved to FC Badalona, Adriana Ranera joined Deportivo La Coruña, Martine Fenger went to Hoffenheim, and Alba Caño chose Boston Legacy in the American professional league.

The departures of Batlle and León leave a huge gap in defense, while the attack has become particularly thin after Paralluelo left. Pere Romeu may use midfielders like Vicky López, Kika Nazareth, or Sydney Schertenleib upfront, but this is only a temporary solution.

Barcelona overcame the depth-of-squad difficulties to win all titles last season. However, with the current squad, just one serious injury could cause the European champions' structure to collapse.