Unexpected changes in the future of Barça

BarcelonaThe economic situation with the fair play Barça's overstretched budget affects all of the club's professional teams, and the women's team, despite being the only one making a profit, has not been exempt from the cuts either. Not having won the Champions League also affects its budget. As of next Monday, July 28, Pere Romeu currently has only 18 players at his disposal, in addition to the reserve team players who will participate in preseason. The purchase price and a percentage of the capital gain (profit that Everton may obtain) from a future sale.

Another of the loanees, Bruna Vilamala, has also packed her bags, this time for Mexico. The Catalan forward is moving to Club América, where she will reunite with Sandra Paños after a lifetime at Barça. She arrived at La Masia at the age of 11 and made her first-team debut at 17 (2019/20). Twelve goals in fifteen La Liga matches cemented her status as one of the club's promising players, but a torn anterior cruciate ligament halted her progress. This season she has been loaned to Brighton, where she hasn't played much due to another injury.

Releasing too much salary

In addition to the two players who were loaned out last season, three players from the current squad have also left the club. These are Fridolina Rolfö –whom the club invited to leave for reasons of fair play–, Ellie Roebuck, and Ingrid Engen. The first two are signing after terminating their contracts, while the Norwegian failed to reach an agreement to renew her contract with the Catalan club. On the other hand, Barça has announced a single signing, Laia Aleixandri. The Catalan defender has arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and has signed a four-year contract, until 2029, with the club that trained her.She is a versatile player that Pere Romeu can use in several positions: center back, right back, or pivot.

Currently, the Barça manager has two goalkeepers, Gemma Font and Cata Coll; seven defenders, Irene Paredes, Mapi León, Jana Fernández, Marta Torrejón, Ona Batlle, Esmee Brugts, and Laia Aleixandri; five midfielders, Alexia Putellas, Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmatí, Kika Nazareth, and Vicky López; and four forwards, Salma Paralluelo, Claudia Pina, Graham Hansen, and Ewa Pajor. Marta Torrejón and Gemma Font, although an official announcement has not yet been made, will remain at the club despite their contracts expiring on June 30.

In addition, Alba Caño, Sydney Schertenleib, and Emilia Szymczak, a Polish midfielder who has played at the European Championship as a center-back, remain (or, in the case of the Pole, join) in the first team dynamic. It remains to be seen what the final decision will be regarding Giulia Dragoni (injured after her loan move to Roma) and Lucía Corrales, who would occupy the left-back position with Brugts following Rolfö's departure. A squad that has also had absences in recent weeks. This includes full-back Judit Pujols, who transferred to Wolfsburg, and Onyeka Gamero, a forward who signed for Bay FC.

A more demanding Champions League

In the 2025-26 season, Barça, if they reach all the finals, will play a total of 48 matches. While it's true that the Spanish league's superiority allows for rotations in League F matches, this season's Champions League will be a test of fire from the start. The European competition will mimic the new format of the men's competition. There will no longer be a group stage (where two of the three opponents were normally within reach of the Blaugrana), but instead a League phase where the Catalans will play, at least, one match against two of the following teams: Jonatan Giráldez's Olympique Lyonnais, Arsenal, the executioner in the Lisbon final, and Chelsea.