FC Barcelona are facing a dearth of options in the midfield area this season. The Catalans have seen two midfielders, Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu, leave the club in the last summer transfer window, while other important players like Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Bernal are out with injuries. Andreas Christensen, who played as a midfield pivot for some time last season, is also out with an injury.
Meanwhile, the transfer window has also closed, and Barcelona cannot make any more additions to their squad unless they have enough FFP margin available. In such a situation, one of the options available to Flick is the youngster Pau Prim, who is currently one of the starting midfielders for Barcelona Atletic.
He was already the favorite to be brought to the first team after Marc Bernal’s injury, but according to Mundo Deportivo, his contractual situation has kept the Catalans from doing so.
Prim did not join the team for its pre-season tour of the USA because there was only one year left on his Barcelona contract, which is going to expire in June 2025. Now, for this same reason, he has not been called up to the first team as it does not make sense for the Blaugranes to give such opportunities to a player who can leave the club in a year’s time.
There was a similar case with Pau Victor in the last season. Xavi Hernandez wanted to get him promoted to the first team, but he was owned by Girona and was playing with Barcelona Atletic only on a season-long loan.
But despite his contractual situation, the 18-year-old La Masia pivot is taking his responsibilities with Barcelona Atletic quite seriously, and has shown his commitment to the team with his recent comments.
“I’ve been with the reserve team for a year now and have the experience that others don’t have. I try to help them as much as possible, to convey to them what this category is all about, which is very challenging and has been tough for us. On a personal level, I feel fortunate to have this responsibility and to be able to help my teammates in any way I can.”
But unless his contractual situation is solved, he will be unable to make his place in the first team in the coming months.
