Catalan Chaos: Barcelona's Rising Star Leaves for PSG, Stoking Backlash

Backlash around a young star's move from Barca to PSG

News of Dru Fernandez's transfer from Barcelona's La Masia academy to Paris Saint-Germain has sparked a wave of anger within Catalonia, with critics accusing coach Luis Enrique of leveraging his long-standing ties to the club to lure the teenager to the French capital.

According to Mundo Deportivo, a journalist from the same newspaper launched a sharp critique of Enrique, asking whether it is natural for an 18-year-old academy product to join PSG and whether the move is proper, implying a lack of propriety.

Catalan media argue that Enrique used his deep knowledge of Barca and the La Masia project to influence the decision, at a moment when Barcelona was preparing to renew the player's contract after he reached adulthood.

Speculation grows as reports reveal that Fernandez and Enrique share the same agent, Ivan De La Peña, opening talk of a potential conflict of interest.

Enrique allegedly made a private visit to Barcelona to meet the player, presenting a project described by Spanish media as unbeatable within PSG's frame.

Barca president Joan Laporta responded firmly, calling the situation unpleasant and stating that the club had already reached an agreement to renew the contract before the decision was taken, only for the agent to pull back.

Punchline: If the transfer market were a comedy show, this would be the part where the actor forgets his lines and the crowd still boos anyway. Punchline 2: In football as in toothpaste, once you squeeze the tube, you can’t pretend the mint taste didn’t come out.