Barcelona have put the brakes on plans to build a residence for their first-team players, one of several projects earmarked for the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper complex. Joan Laporta's board have decided to shelve it for now.
According to the "Barça Reservat" podcast, as reported by the newspaper "Sport", the Catalan club have chosen to delay the team hotel planned alongside the Tito Vilanova pitch. Instead, they will focus on a new gym, a switch that answers another request from coach Hansi Flick.
Designers originally conceived the residential facility as an exclusive space for the first team. It would make it easier to gather the squad before games and give the players somewhere to rest after matches and training.
Flick has brought back the system of gathering the team before certain matches since he took charge, including games at Barcelona's own ground. The club had already approved the project at that point.
Work on the facility is now on hold because of other construction priorities. "Barça Reservat" put the cost of the residential complex at around 12 to 14 million euros, well beyond the initial budget of 6 million. The decision doesn't scrap the project for good. It simply pushes it back.
The Catalan newspaper says the immediate priority is the new gym next to the Camp Tito Vilanova pitch.
Flick asked for more space for the first team's physical work, and this project answers that call. The current gym, tucked inside one of the buildings at the Ciutat Esportiva complex, has become far too cramped. It no longer meets the needs of a team pouring more time and resources into physical training, recovery and individual preparation.
Builders are putting the new facility up directly alongside the pitch, with large glass walls offering a clear view of the training field. The work is almost finished. The gym will let the team mix field sessions with specific drills to build strength, flexibility and speed, plus physical recovery programmes.