Barcelona squad complete as Ferran Torres misses training amid Paris Saint-Germain talks

Barcelona have had their full squad available for the first time since beginning preparations for the new season a month ago, although Ferran Torres was absent with permission as he negotiates a possible move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Olmo returned to training after their post-World Cup break, completing the group of Barcelona players who had been away on international duty.

French defender Jules Kounde also took part in his first training session with the club since returning from holiday and competing at the World Cup. His return came on Tuesday, when all available members of the first-team squad trained together.

The session also included 13 players from Barcelona’s reserve and youth teams, among them Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has decided to keep Abdelkarim with the first team as the new campaign approaches. The 19-year-old has impressed during pre-season and scored two goals in the club’s friendly matches against Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Udinese.

Flick had relied on several reserve and youth players in training and friendly matches in recent weeks because of the absence of the club’s international players following the end of the World Cup.

Abdelkarim has made a particular effort to catch the manager’s attention. The Egypt international chose not to take a break after completing his involvement with Egypt at the 2026 World Cup and joined Barcelona’s training camp from its first day.

That decision appears to have worked, with the forward now in contention to remain with the senior squad when the season begins. His chances may also be helped by Barcelona’s failure to sign another specialist striker so far.

Robert Lewandowski left Barcelona at the end of last season, while Torres is close to departing for Paris Saint-Germain. Torres was therefore given permission to miss Wednesday’s training session while discussions over the transfer continue.

Barcelona’s next fixture is a friendly against Basel on Sunday. They will then face Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday, 19 August.

The Catalan side will begin their La Liga campaign four days later, when they play Elche on 23 August.

The return of the club’s World Cup players means Flick can now work with the majority of his senior squad before the competitive season gets under way. Until this week, his preparations had been shaped by the staggered return of the international contingent and the involvement of younger players.

Abdelkarim’s strong pre-season has given Flick another option in attack, particularly with Lewandowski gone and Torres potentially on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. His continued presence with the first team will become clearer as Barcelona move through their final pre-season fixtures and prepare for their opening La Liga match.