Barcelona eye lucrative Morocco friendly ahead of new La Liga campaign

Barcelona are exploring the possibility of adding a pre-season friendly in Morocco as Hansi Flick continues to fine-tune his squad ahead of the new La Liga campaign.

The Catalan giants have already stepped up preparations after an encouraging opening training match against Europa before departing for England for a training camp at St George’s Park, where Flick is expected to intensify work on fitness and tactical organisation.

Away from the training ground, the club is also looking to finalise its summer schedule. According to journalist Achraf Ben Ayad, Barcelona are considering staging an additional friendly in Morocco before the start of the league season.

The proposed fixture is viewed as more than just another warm-up game. It would further strengthen Barcelona’s presence in North Africa, where the club enjoys a huge following, while also providing fresh commercial opportunities as preparations for the new season gather pace.

No opponent or date has been confirmed, with discussions still ongoing as the sporting and commercial departments attempt to fit another fixture into an already packed pre-season calendar.

Packed pre-season programme

While talks over a potential Morocco trip continue, Barcelona remain focused on their confirmed schedule.

The England training camp will conclude with friendlies against Birmingham City on July 31 and Preston North End on August 3 before the squad heads to Italy for a triangular tournament in Udine on August 8, where they will face Nottingham Forest and Udinese.

The Blaugrana will round off their preparations by hosting Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19 before turning their attention to the opening weekend of the La Liga season.

Flick builds momentum

Flick has travelled to England with virtually all available first-team players, supplemented by several highly-rated academy prospects as he continues assessing his squad.

New signing Karim Adeyemi is part of the travelling group, while Ronald Araujo has rejoined the team following the World Cup. Fermin Lopez also travelled as he continues his recovery while remaining integrated with the squad.

Frenkie de Jong and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are also with the team despite their respective situations, while Raphinha is expected to link up with the squad later this week after completing his post-World Cup break.

With pre-season entering a decisive phase, Barcelona are balancing on-field preparations with efforts to grow their global profile, and a high-profile friendly in Morocco could become the latest addition to an ambitious summer programme.