Barcelona were about to jet out of Saudi Arabia after their biggest victory of the season, having beaten Real Madrid to win the Supercopa de Espana.

With the players gathered in their seats on the plane to take them home, Raphinha stepped away from the title celebrations. The Brazilian ordered a small cake from the airline’s menu, topped it with a candle, and brought it over to the youngest member of the travelling group.

It was Monday, January 12 and Pedro Fernandez, better known simply as Dro, was turning 18. It was a moment shared by the club’s social media accounts, another sign of the closeness and family feeling around Hansi Flick’s side.

Just five days later, Dro told Flick he wanted to leave.

Barca landed late on Monday, and their next fixture was on Thursday — at Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey last 16. Dro did not train in the days before the game due to a minor injury, and he was not part of the squad for the trip. On Friday, after Barca’s slightly fortuitous 2-0 win, he asked to meet with Flick.

The German coach was extremely disappointed by what Dro told him.

Club sources — speaking anonymously to protect relationships, like all those consulted for this article — said Flick felt let down by Dro’s decision to leave, having made a special investment in the teenager’s development. Figures involved in the daily work at Barca’s training ground have described Dro as “Flick’s project in La Masia”.

Less than a year ago, Dro was still playing with Barcelona’s under-18s. He had always been regarded as a promising prospect, but it was Flick who really took him under his wing. After being impressed by what he saw, he promoted Dro for this summer’s tour of Japan and South Korea.

Ordinarily, a youth prospect of his age would have been expected to progress more steadily through to the under-19s and then up to Barcelona Atletic, the club’s reserve team mostly made up of academy graduates that currently plays in Spain’s fourth tier.

Dro impressed further on tour with Barca, and this season he went on to make five senior appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, playing a total of 148 minutes.

Dro playing for Barca against Atletico Madrid in La Liga in December

Dro playing for Barca against Atletico Madrid in La Liga in December (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Flick wasn’t his only fan. A Barcelona first-team player described him as “one of those special guys” in messages with The Athletic, adding: “He glides on the pitch, is extremely technical and full of quality. He reads the game from any position, is very clever and does not lose the ball.”

Dro is not Barcelona born and bred. He joined La Masia in the summer of 2022, with the club having monitored him for years. He was playing with his boyhood team in Galicia, Val Minor, one of the most renowned youth teams in Spain, when Barca came in to sign him up.

Just like Flick, you’re possibly wondering, then: why has he decided to go? Well, that’s the other side of the coin.

For Dro, it is difficult to see how he can expect to become an established part of the Barca first team in the near future. His ideal position is as an attacking midfielder, where Barca already have strong options — Dani Olmo, who is 27 years old, Fermin Lopez, 22, and Gavi, 21.

You might think that Dro could still have opportunities as a winger. Well, Lamine Yamal is 18 and Roony Bardghji, signed this summer, is 20. Raphinha, 29, is an undisputed starter, Barca want Marcus Rashford, 28, to stay and are also expected to sign a striker this summer, closing the door on a potential role as a false nine.

La Masia’s talent factory has helped Barca protect their status among Europe’s elite clubs in recent seasons, but the fact so many youngsters are now established as senior players means there is less of an opportunity for the next generation.

Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi and Fermin broke through during troubled times for Barca and a lack of top talent in the team. Now, there is elite quality.

Dro playing for Barcelona

Dro got an assist in Barca’s 6-1 victory over Olympiacos in October (Xavi Bonilla/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Dro’s destination is still unknown. Among his suitors, Paris Saint-Germain stands out as a strong option. The Athletic reported Chelsea were also in the mix, but the French champions, with Luis Enrique in charge, seem to be the most appealing project to the player — and Luis Enrique’s agent and close friend Ivan de la Pena, a fellow former Spain international, also represents Dro.

“I don’t want to say a lot,” Flick said last week in a press conference, when asked about Dro’s situation.

“It’s not confirmed yet, but I put a lot of effort into players to get better, give them the confidence to improve… but the player is 18 already, old enough to make decisions, and there are people around him as well.”

Dro is the kind of footballer that suits Luis Enrique’s style: an attacking midfielder with high IQ on the pitch, effectively allowing him to operate anywhere across the offensive front. And yet, it is still hard to envisage him getting significantly increased game time in the French capital.

Spain international Fabian Ruiz, 29, is the only midfielder in the PSG team older than 25. In attack, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, 28, is the only player above 24. The squad is competitive and full of players in the early stages of their careers. Dro would be another one in the list.

Here’s another question: could Barcelona have done something more to keep him, if Flick wanted him so badly?

Well, for a start, young players in Spain can’t sign their first long-term professional contract until they turn 18. Before that, clubs have limitations over the duration of the contracts they offer to youngsters, as well as their release clauses, which must remain low.

Dro is still on his base academy contract. All players in La Masia on those terms have a €6million (£5.2m; $7m) release clause that Barca can’t really improve. Marc Guiu signed for Chelsea in 2024, triggering the same clause.

There have been some special cases in which Barca have managed to reach a verbal agreement with players before they turn 18. That was the case with Yamal in 2023, after he made his first-team debut at 15. Cubarsi, who turns 19 on Thursday, followed a similar path. Before them, similar situations happened with Ansu Fati, on loan at Monaco, and Ilaix Moriba, now with Celta Vigo.

“He is an excellent player, but we can’t become crazy as a club,” said a Barca source when asked about the Dro situation. “We need to keep it sensible and can’t offer huge contracts to every youngster with interest from abroad.”

Another source added, “If he does not want to stay, we can’t do much. In this situation, there has to be a part of the player wanting to be part of the club, and prove he can succeed here.

“If that ambition is not fully here, Barca will keep trusting in La Masia. Maybe in two years we will have another talented player in there, and if that happens, people will move on.”

Dro’s departure is now accepted with resignation. Losing one of the most precious talents from La Masia for €6million is not good business, and there’s an emotional value attached to losing one of your own.

But the club believe they acted in the only way they could.