The European champions’ squad is falling apart … because of the men’s team’s struggles with financial fair play
The joy of lifting all four trophies in 2025-26 has been shortlived for Barcelona’s women’s team as they face a second consecutive summer exodus.
If winning the Champions League is not enough to retain players then you have to wonder what is. Seven players have left the European champions so far with 19-year-old Renee van Asten from Ajax the only arrival.
To make matters worse some of the team’s best players are those departing with twice Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas top of that list. Fellow Spain internationals Ona Batlle, Mapi León and Salma Paralluelo have also left.
The reason? As so often when it comes to football: money. The men’s La Liga financial fair play troubles continue to disrupt the club from top to bottom. At the time of writing the women’s team have 17 senior players – two goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and three forwards – although they are in talks to sign the Brazil forward Kerolin from Manchester City.
Putellas was the biggest loss for the club, leaving her home of 14 years for Michele Kang’s London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League. The fact that she left on a free transfer highlighted an internal management crisis at the club. Mapi León followed her Blaugrana captain to London City, also on a free transfer, where they will be reunited with three former teammates; Jana Fernández, María Pérez and Lucía Corrales.
The WSL is a popular destination for Barcelona players with 14 of their last 19 departures joining clubs in England. Batlle signed for Arsenal, where she will join up with the former Barcelona winger Mariona Caldentey. Salma Paralluelo has yet to announce where she will be playing next season, though PSG are the favourite to sign her after negotiations with Chelsea broke down.
Those 19 departures have come since 2024 and they include academy players who have made regular appearances for the first team. At the same time there have only been two signings and two academy players who have joined the senior side. The reserve goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck arrived in July 2024, but left after one season, while Laia Aleixandri joined on a free transfer from Manchester City in June 2025.
With their pre-season training commencing on Monday 27 July the pressure is on to sign players to reinforce a squad that looks threadbare at best and dangerously thin at worst. The club have said that there will be signings – and that they will be announced soon – but whether they are seasoned pros or academy products remain to be seen.
Last season academy products Aïcha Camara and Clara Serrajordi were given first-team contracts with the club in a similar situation. In the past Barcelona have been able to promote high-quality players from within but now the problem is that key academy players are leaving as well. The goalkeeper Txell Font left for city neighbours FC Badalona, Adriana Ranera signed for Deportiva de A Coruña, Martina Fenger left for Hoffenheim and Alba Caño landed in the NWSL with Boston Legacy.
Last season some academy players did step up and arguably saved the club’s season. Serrajordi deputised in the midfield when Bonmatí or Guijarro were out and Camara played a big role in the defensive line with Batlle picking up a month-long injury. However, as the best academy players have already been given first-team contracts there are fewer options to turn to this summer. Midfielders Carla Julià (19) and Rosalía Domínguez (17) seem to be current favourites to make the jump to the first team should the club prioritise signing in-house talent.
Last season Barcelona Femení made a profit of €1.955m (£1.67m), their best financial result since the 2023-24 season. That came off the back of the Champions League prize money being increased and the team collecting all three domestic trophies. However, with some of their biggest names departing they are unlikely to match that figure in 2026-27.
Losing Batlle will have a big impact on the defence, coming as it does a year after Fridolina Rölfö joined Manchester United. Van Asten, as mentioned, has signed from Ajax and Martina Fernández looks likely to return from Everton. The forward line looks even thinner, although the coach, Pere Romeu, has a particular style of football and can utilise midfielders such as Vicky López, Kika Nazareth and Sydney Schertenleib in attack.
It feels like this team is one major injury away from imploding. They got away with it last season – in fact, they won everything they could – but for how long can this carry on? A team hoping to defend their title as European champions can’t continue to rely solely on academy products for ever.
Talking points
Amoros steps back for family: Gotham FC manager, Juan Carlos Amorós, has taken five weeks of paternity leave after the birth of his second child. While maternity leave has been normalised in professional sport, paternity leave is almost unseen among athletes and managers. Gotham sit second in the NWSL table and Amorós will miss important clashes against Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave who sit one point and three points below on the table. In Spain, fathers are entitled to 19 weeks of paid paternity leave. The first six weeks immediately after the birth of their child are mandatory, while the other 13 weeks can be taken at any point within the first year after the birth. Within professional sport, the rule isn’t applied, but Amorós could hopefully help create a new norm similar to what Alex Morgan or Sydney Leroux started in football.
Spain’s dominance in global football: After conquering the men’s 2026 World Cup and the women’s 2023 World Cup, Spain are football royalty. And not only in senior football. At youth level Spain are sweeping the board as well. In the last five years, from under-17 to senior, Spain have won 16 world and European trophies across the men and women’s teams.
Borja Iglesias was one of the few Spanish men’s footballers to resign from the national team during the Luis Rubiales scandal in 2023. The Celta de Vigo striker announced in August 2023 that he would not return as long as Rubiales was still in charge of the RFEF. He never shied away from showing his full support of Jenni Hermoso. “I don’t know if I will ever be an option again,” he said on social media. “But I have made the decision not to return to the national team until things change and this type of behaviour does not go unpunished.” Three years later, Rubiales is gone and Iglesias is a World Cup winner, and he encountered Hermoso along the way for a hug with so much power behind it. A full circle moment.
Quote of the week
I’m so happy because I have a plan for my life and my career, and Chelsea were a part of that plan. My objective is to become better every single day and to win trophies. I know Chelsea always have that as an objective” – France forward Melvine Malard completes her move from Manchester United to Chelsea on a four-year contract.
Still want more?
A Femminile, plus club-by-club guides, with our summer transfer interactive.
Fresh standouts from that include Spurs breaking their transfer record to procure Alice Sombath from Lyonnes and Arsenal continuing their squad revamp by signing Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez on a free transfer.
And the future of Canberra United has been secured, with a new owner found for the two-time A-League Women champions.
