Barcelona have paused construction of a dedicated residential building for the first-team squad at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, according to a report from the Barça Reservat podcast carried by Spanish newspaper SPORT.
The facility had been earmarked as a place where players could stay together before fixtures and recover after late-night matches or demanding training sessions. According to the report, the projected cost now sits in the region of €12m to €14m, well above the €6m first pencilled in when the project was approved last year.
Head coach Hansi Flick had reportedly pushed to accelerate the build. Catalunya Radio first reported in April 2025 that the German wanted the residence fast-tracked as part of a wider tightening of pre-match routines at the Sant Joan Despí campus, with the board having already signed off on the scheme.
Gym comes first
The residence is one of two infrastructure requests Flick has steered through since arriving in 2024. The other, a new gym tucked into one corner of the training area beside the Camp Tito Vilanova pitch, is almost finished.
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Spanish outlet El Gol Digital reported on 25 September that the gym is scheduled to open at the end of October, driven by fitness coordinator Benjamin Kugel. The facility is designed as an extension of the training pitch itself, with weights-first conditioning and individualised physical profiles for every first-team player.
That building, smaller in scope and closer to completion, has reportedly been given budget priority over the residence block.
Residence shelved, not scrapped
The Barça Reservat podcast describes the pause as temporary, with the club intending to return to the project once finances allow. Sporting director Deco has previously been reported as viewing the residence as a potential second phase of the training-ground upgrade rather than an immediate need.
Flick himself extended his Barcelona contract until June 2028 in May, having delivered a domestic treble in his debut campaign and backed it up with a second LaLiga title last season. The residence idea, together with the gym and the changes already made to the first-team dressing area, has become a running theme of his tenure.
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Barcelona have not commented publicly on the status of the residence project. The Tito Vilanova gym is due to be in use before the end of the month.
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