{
  "id": 262539,
  "title": "Confirmed: Flick makes first three pre-season cuts from Barcelona squad",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/confirmed-flick-makes-first-three-pre-season-cuts-from-barcelona-squad",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-07T11:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/confirmed-flick-makes-first-three-114000901.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has made his first three pre-season cuts from the Barcelona squad, releasing Oscar Gistau, Ibrahim Diarra, and Alex Gonzalez from first-team duties. The trio will return to Barça Atletic dynamics and continue their training under Juliano Belletti at the club's training camp in La Vall d'en Bas (Girona). All three players had been working with the first team during the month, along with 17 academy players from Barça Atletic and the Under-19s. Gistau, Diarra, and Gonzalez all traveled with the senior squad to St George's Park in England for Barcelona's pre-season training camp and made unofficial first-team debuts during a friendly against Birmingham City. After their four-week stint with Flick, the three young players have since joined Barça Atletic and could feature in the upcoming friendly against Girona B on Saturday. Alex Gonzalez has impressed during the pre-season. Currently, 14 academy players remain with the first team as Flick prepares for the new season, which begins with a La Liga match against Elche on 23 August.",
  "summary": "FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has made his first three pre-season cuts from the squad, releasing Oscar Gistau, Ibrahim Diarra, and Alex Gonzalez. The three youngsters, who had spent the past month working with the first team alongside 17 other academy players, are now returning to Barça Atletic dynamics and training under Juliano Belletti at the club’s training camp in La Vall d’en Bas. Despite being cut from the first team, all three players had previously played for the senior squad during Barcelona’s pre-season training camp in England and made their unofficial first-team debuts during a friendly against Birmingham City. The other 14 academy players still training with the first team will travel to Udine for a pre-season triangular tournament featuring Udinese and Nottingham Forest. Barcelona’s next La Liga match is against Elche on 23 August.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Barcelona’s pre-season friendly in Morocco in jeopardy – here’s why",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/barcelonas-pre-season-friendly-in-morocco-in-jeopardy-heres-why",
        "published": "2026-08-06T06:20:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}