DRO FERNANDEZ SIGNS WITH PSG UNTIL 2030, WEARING THE ICONIC NO. 27
Paris Saint-Germain sign Dro Fernandez from Barcelona for €8.2m. Discover the drama behind Laporta’s fury and PSG’s 2030 project.
Paris Saint-Germain has snatched one of Barcelona’s brightest young stars. Dro Fernandez has signed with the French champions for €8.2 million, and the news has hit Catalonia like a punch to the gut. Barcelona president Joan Laporta didn’t hold back, calling the transfer an “unpleasant” shock and accusing the teenager’s camp of breaking their word on his future.
PSG made it official on Monday—Fernandez is theirs until 2030, and he’ll wear the No. 27 shirt. He couldn’t hide his excitement either. “I’m very happy and very proud to join Paris Saint-Germain. This is a huge moment for my family,” he told the club’s media. “PSG is a massive club I’ve followed since I was a kid, where legends have made history. I can’t wait to play and give everything for this shirt.”
As for Laporta, the whole thing feels like a betrayal. The relationship between Barcelona and PSG has always been tense, and this move just turned up the chill. Speaking to Catalunya Radio, Laporta sounded genuinely hurt. “We’ll speak when everything is finally settled,” he said. “It’s been an unpleasant situation. We thought we had a plan for Dro when he turned 18: a new agreement. Out of nowhere, his agent told us he couldn’t honour it. We could have fixed this, but now it’s too late.”
For Barcelona, losing Fernandez stings even more because he was on such a rapid rise. Over the past six months, he’d jumped straight into the first team, making it clear that the club saw him as a future pillar. He joined the senior squad for the pre-season tour in South Korea, getting to train with Barca’s biggest names. By September, he’d already made his La Liga debut in a gritty 2-1 win over Real Sociedad.
It got better in October—Fernandez played his first Champions League match and managed to notch an assist in the 6-1 rout of Olympiakos. Five senior appearances, four in La Liga, all before turning 19. For a player to break through so quickly, only to walk away halfway through his breakout year, it’s a huge blow for Barcelona.
This isn’t a new story for Barca fans, though. PSG have a habit of swooping into La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy. They took Xavi Simons in 2019, and the Neymar saga still haunts the club. The €8.2 million fee for Fernandez is a lot for a kid with just a handful of senior games, but PSG clearly see something special. For them, it’s another step in their plan to build with the best young talent, not just buy the biggest names.
For Barcelona, though, the money hardly makes up for losing a homegrown midfielder who was already making a difference. Yes, the club’s financial struggles are no secret, but selling a promising academy product for what feels like a bargain price is a bitter pill to swallow.
Coach Hansi Flick summed it up last week, before the deal was done: “As coaches, we try to give young players confidence so they can grow. I know there are people around him. If he decides to leave, we’ll deal with it. But now’s not the time to talk.”
Now, Fernandez has a fresh start. He’ll try to make his mark on Luis Enrique’s PSG squad and settle into life in Ligue 1. New country, new league, new language—and all eyes on him. But if his short spell in Barcelona’s first team is anything to go by, he’s got the personality to cope. Meanwhile, Barcelona are left picking up the pieces, wondering how a deal they thought was locked in completely fell apart, and watching yet another academy jewel slip through their fingers.
SCHEDULE SHIFT: LIGUE 1 POSTPONES PSG VS NANTES TO FAVOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREPARATIONS
Ligue 1 has officially moved PSG’s clash with Nantes to April, giving Paris a massive rest advantage for their game vs Chelsea.
PSG just got a big break ahead of their Champions League clash with Chelsea.
On Friday morning, the draw handed last year’s winners a tough last-16 matchup against Chelsea, the same team that beat them in the Club World Cup final back in July.
Luis Enrique and Liam Rosenior probably hoped to avoid each other until later in the tournament. But here they are, set to meet again, having crossed paths before thanks to Rosenior’s time at Strasbourg. The first leg lands on March 11 in Paris, with the return in London on March 17.
Originally, both teams had league matches wedged between those two legs. But now, Ligue 1 has given PSG a helping hand. They agreed to move PSG’s game against Nantes so Paris can focus on the Champions League. According to a statement from Ligue 1, the PSG-Nantes match will now take place the week of April 20, with the exact date still up in the air.
No word yet on whether Chelsea will try to shift their own fixture pile-up. The Premier League rarely grants these sorts of requests, so don’t count on it. Still, with Chelsea set to play Newcastle, another Champions League side, on March 14, both clubs would probably love a schedule change if they had the option.
Looking at the schedules, Chelsea’s road looks brutal. Between their trip to Arsenal this Sunday and March 21, they’ll cram in seven games. After Arsenal, they go away to Aston Villa, Wrexham in the FA Cup, and then PSG. Four times in three weeks, they get just three days to recover. Only twice do they have a four-day breather.
PSG’s calendar is a lot kinder. From March 1 to March 22, they play just four times. They’ll have an extra day to get ready for the first leg with Chelsea and three more days to rest up for the second game in England. In fact, between now and March 11, PSG only play once. Chelsea, meanwhile, faces three matches before heading to Paris. That’s a big advantage for the French club.
ARSENAL NEWS: ARSENAL VIEW SENNY MAYULU AS PRIMARY LONG-TERM SUCCESSOR TO KAI HAVERTZ
Arsenal have joined Chelsea and Man City in a €60m race for PSG’s Senny Mayulu, viewed as a potential successor to Kai Havertz.
Arsenal are looking to outdo Tottenham again this summer, this time by targeting PSG’s Senny Mayulu. Reports say Arsenal have joined the chase for the young playmaker, but they’re not alone; Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are all interested too.
Last year, Arsenal snatched Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace right out from under Spurs. Eze hasn’t exactly been on fire, but he did manage to score in both games against Tottenham. Now, Arsenal seem ready to twist the knife a little deeper by making a move for Mayulu, someone Tottenham tried and failed to sign last September, according to TEAMtalk.
CaughtOffside now reports that Arsenal and Chelsea are front-runners for Mayulu this summer. What helps their case? Talks over a new contract between Mayulu and PSG have stalled, and as things stand, he’ll enter the last year of his deal soon. The sticking point? Salary. Mayulu wants more than PSG is willing to offer, but Premier League clubs have a bigger appetite for spending.
Apparently, Arsenal see Mayulu as a possible successor to Kai Havertz in midfield. He’s played up front at times this season, but he’s really a midfielder at heart. Chelsea is also pushing for him, and Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle have all tested the waters with informal approaches.
No doubt about it, Mayulu is one of the hot names ahead of the summer window. PSG have slapped a €60m (£53m) price tag on him, so they’re not letting him go cheaply. They might still try to keep him, but if he won’t sign a new deal, selling now makes sense.
So, would Arsenal be the right move for Mayulu? He’s made 28 appearances for PSG this season, scoring four and assisting five. Since coming up through their academy, he’s racked up 72 games, 11 goals, and nine assists. That kind of promise makes a Premier League move feel almost inevitable, even though he’s already at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
If he does head to England, Arsenal will want to win the battle, but are they really the best fit? That probably depends on who leaves Arteta’s squad. Right now, Arsenal’s attacking midfield is stacked: Havertz, Eze, captain Martin Odegaard, and Ethan Nwaneri coming back from loan. Mikel Merino can play the hybrid midfield/striker role, and even Bukayo Saka has shifted more centrally at times, though he’s really best out wide.
So, there’s a logjam in attacking midfield at Arsenal. Unless Arteta sees Mayulu playing deeper, he might find more opportunities elsewhere. There could be an opening for another central midfielder, especially since Martin Zubimendi has been a hit and Christian Nørgaard hasn’t made much of an impact.
Chelsea isn’t much different. Cole Palmer is their main attacking midfielder, but that hasn’t stopped them from chasing more talent. City has Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, but there are questions over Bernardo Silva’s future.
Honestly, staying at PSG and continuing to grow there might be the best option for Mayulu. If he decides to leave, he needs to pick a club where he’ll actually play. Chelsea could make sense if Palmer moves wide, but Newcastle might be worth a look, too. They’ve shown they’re willing to adapt roles. Nick Woltemade, for example, has dropped deeper but could move back up if someone new joins as a No. 10.
In the end, Mayulu’s next move should be about finding the right fit, not just the biggest name.
