Barcelona announces departures of five key players ahead of summer clear-out

FC Barcelona has confirmed that five players from its reserve team, Barça Atlètic, will leave the club when their contracts expire on June 30, 2026. The departures of Víctor Barbera, Joaquin Delgado, Oscar Urena, Ander Astralaga, and Emilio Bernad mark the latest chapter in Barcelona’s ongoing effort to keep its talent pipeline lean and competitive.

The details behind the departures

The five outgoing players all came through or spent time in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy system, competing under reserve team coach Juliano Belletti. Barça Atlètic serves as the club’s B-team, a proving ground where young talents either earn a first-team call-up or move on.

This round of departures follows an earlier wave during the 2025-26 season, when seven academy players were also released. That makes twelve reserve-level departures in a single campaign, a number that underscores Barcelona’s willingness to turn over its youth roster aggressively rather than let it stagnate.

Why Barcelona keeps trimming

Releasing players from Barça Atlètic doesn’t generate transfer fees the way selling a first-team star would. But it does reduce the wage bill incrementally and prevents the reserve squad from becoming bloated with players who aren’t progressing.

By announcing these departures well before the contract expiration date, Barcelona gives these players and their agents maximum runway to find new clubs.

What this means for investors and token holders

FC Barcelona holds an official fan token, BAR, through the Chiliz platform, and has extended its crypto partnership with WhiteBIT through 2030. These initiatives operate independently from player personnel decisions, as the club’s crypto activities remain distinct from these routine roster changes.

For BAR token holders specifically, the key metric to watch isn’t who leaves Barça Atlètic. It’s who stays and who eventually makes the jump to the senior squad.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.