Hansi Flick returns to work as Barcelona prepare for the

FC Barcelona is preparing for a new season and, although its players will not return to training until July 13, coach Hansi Flick is already back to work before the team gathers for pre-season. The German briefly interrupted his vacation last week to attend President Joan Laporta's inauguration ceremony and is now back at the Ciutat Esportiva to begin preparations for the upcoming campaign, as reported by SPORT. Flick's immediate priorities include planning pre-season training alongside his coaching staff and making crucial sporting decisions ahead of players' return. One of the first challenges will be to work together with sporting director Deco, who spent a few days in the United States after the World Cup. Official training begins on July 13th, with the first medical evaluations taking place that day.  Between July 27th and August 3rd, Barcelona will hold a training camp at St. George’s Park, in England. However, the club has not yet finalized all the friendlies that will be held before the start of the new La Liga season. Currently, Barcelona will face CE Europa at Ciutat Esportiva in a friendly on July 24th, which will take place behind closed doors. A week later, the team will face Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s Stadium, on July 31st. On August 8th, Barcelona will also face Udinese in Italy. Additionally, the club will host the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19th, but the opponent has not yet been confirmed. Barcelona's pre-season will start with a reduced squad as many players are still involved in the World Cup. Currently, Flick can only count on a few more experienced athletes from day one, such as Wojciech Szczesny, Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji. Fermin Lopez will join the group as soon as he fully recovers from the injury that prevented him from participating in the World Cup. Another important task for the coach will be deciding which academy players will participate in pre-season with the first team. A large number of youngsters are expected to attend training, although it is unclear how many of them will travel to England. With Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong already eliminated from the tournament, both should be available for training camp in England. If more Barcelona players are eliminated in the round of 16, they could also join the squad in time for the trip. Flick will also take advantage of his return to Barcelona to receive detailed updates on the club's transfer market movements. Barcelona have already secured the signing of Anthony Gordon, but still need a new center forward after the departure of Robert Lewandowski. Julian Alvarez is the priority target, while Flick wants the club to re-sign Joao Cancelo on a permanent basis. In addition to the arrivals, the coach will closely monitor the squad's departures. The future of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Casado, Fort and Bardghji is still uncertain, and these departures could directly influence the opportunities for several academy players. SeIf enough first-team spots open up, some youngsters who participate in pre-season could earn permanent spots on Flick's squad for the entire season. --- ## Related Articles 1. [Dani Olmo hekelt Real Madrid: Negreira-zaak wordt gebruikt om Barça](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/dani-olmo-hekelt-real-madrid-negreira-zaak-wordt-gebruikt-om-barca-te-ontregelen)

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