Barcelona had just put five past Elche in their La Liga opener on Sunday, and their most important player was crying on the bench.

Lamine Yamal was withdrawn in the 65th minute for Anthony Gordon, and cameras caught the 19-year-old struggling to compose himself as Raphinha moved over to console him. He remained visibly affected in the tunnel after the final whistle, according to Spanish daily Sport in the same match reporting.

Head coach Hansi Flick was asked afterwards about the reaction.

“If he was a bit annoyed, then I fully understand and I like it,” Flick said.

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Barcelona pundit Jota Jordi has a different reading. Speaking three days after the match and cited by Barca Universal, he tied Yamal’s mood to the three players he grew up with at La Masia.

“He’s a 19-year-old lad and his three best friends of the last ten years are leaving, and I can assure you that’s why. Don’t look for any other reasons,” Jordi said.

He named Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado and Hector Fort, calling them “brothers” to Yamal and saying the forward believes the season ahead will be a big one he now has to face without them.

The Balde back-and-forth

Balde’s future has been the most public strand. On 22 August, beIN Sports reported that the 22-year-old left-back had asked his agent Jorge Mendes to find him a new club, with Flick preferring Joao Cancelo and Balde no longer viewed as an undisputed starter. Manchester United emerged as the destination he liked the most.

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The picture shifted this week. Reports on 26 August said Balde has since told Barcelona he wants to stay and fight for his place, even after United held talks with Mendes.

He was left out of the squad against Elche.

Casado’s exit was agreed in June

Marc Casado’s move has been in motion longer. Fox Sports reported on 11 June that the 22-year-old defensive midfielder had agreed a summer exit after slipping to fifth choice in Flick’s midfield.

Barcelona set the price at around €25m, a significant drop from the previous summer. His minutes fell sharply last season, with a single assist.

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Casado has publicly said he wants to stay, but the sporting department has kept pushing to close the sale before the window shuts.

Hector Fort, the third name on Jordi’s list, has been linked with a Bundesliga move and has trained apart from the main group.

The core of the rebuild

Flick’s summer has not been empty. Karim Adeyemi scored on his debut against Elche, and Gordon came off the bench in place of Yamal. But the players being sold or shopped are the ones from La Masia who came through the ranks alongside the teenager.

Neither Yamal nor Barcelona has publicly confirmed the reasons Jordi gave.

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The Spanish transfer window closes on 1 September, giving the sporting department days to resolve the three futures at the center of the story.

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