Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has taken a precautionary decision to avoid a repeat of the crisis the club faced following the cruciate knee ligament injury to Sweden's Roony Bardghji, at a time when the player was close to leaving.
Barcelona confirmed in an official statement on Tuesday that their player had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, days before the start of the new season. The player had been on the verge of an exit that would have brought money into the club's coffers.
According to "Mundo Deportivo", Flick decided to keep six players away from group training, given that they are close to leaving the club during the final days of the transfer window. The Bardghji injury threatens to disrupt any deal for those players.
Today's session saw several developments. The most notable was the participation of France's Jules Koundé for the first time during pre-season, alongside Flick calling up a number of reserve team players in preparation for Sunday's friendly against Switzerland's Basel.
The German coach, by contrast, preferred not to risk a number of players who may leave the club in the coming period. Marc Casadó, Héctor Fort, Gerard Torrents, Tommy Marqués, Toni Fernández and Guille Fernández all trained separately from the group.
His decision was not primarily a technical one. It came with a clear precautionary motive, as Barcelona fear any of these players suffering an injury that could hamper his exit negotiations or affect the club's plans in the transfer market.
Casadó and Torrents: the closest to leaving
Marc Casadó and Gerard Torrents sit at the front of the names closest to leaving Barcelona.
Casadó had already been absent from the team's trip to Udine for the friendly tournament against Udinese and Nottingham Forest, given that he is close to settling his future in the coming days.
Torrents, the left-back, has seen his transfer to Ajax reach advanced stages, after the parties reached understandings over the next step in his career.
Offers galore for the rest of the names
The matter does not stop with Casadó and Torrents. Héctor Fort, Tommy Marqués, Guille Fernández and Toni Fernández all have offers that would allow them to obtain more playing minutes away from Barcelona.
Fort played last season with Elche, while the trio of Tommy, Guille and Toni Fernández have ended their spell with the reserve team. They are now open to a new experience outside the club in order to continue developing and to get a bigger opportunity to play.