Barcelona academy defender makes a case to remain at club amid offers to leave | OneFootball

Barcelona played their first pre-season friendly, a closed-door encounter against CE Europa, and walked away with a 4-1 win, with La Masia starlets scoring all four goals.

Hector Fort started Barcelona’s pre-season friendly and provided a timely reminder of his quality, scoring a goal for the club on the night.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the 19-year-old right-back wishes to stay put at Barcelona and fight for his place, despite having offers to leave.

Having spent last season on loan at Elche, where he looked quite impressive whenever fit, the La Masia graduate has been training with the senior squad since returning and will travel to England for the next stage of pre-season.

Fort responds in first pre-season test

Fort scored Barcelona’s second goal after Ibrahim Diarra had opened the scoring. He arrived inside the area to meet a cross from the left and finished firmly during the first half.

Fort spent the last season on loan at Elche. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

It was exactly the type of contribution he needed.

Pre-season performances do not settle a player’s future on their own, but a goal in the first test gives Fort an early platform from which to impress the coaching staff.

With Jules Kounde likely to return late after his World Cup run with France, Fort is likely to get more chances in the coming weeks.

Fort’s priority is to wear Blaugrana despite having offers available. For now, he wants to understand the club’s intentions before making any decision on another departure.

His contract runs until 2029, so the club do not need to rush into a permanent decision. A loan could remain an option if regular minutes are unavailable.

A genuine opportunity to convince Flick

Fort scored in the friendly vs CE Europa. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Barcelona need squad depth across a demanding season, and Fort’s ability to play on either side of defence makes him useful.

His familiarity with the club’s footballing ideas is another advantage.

It does feel like the teenager has improved a lot since he was part of Flick’s team in the 2024-25 season.

He is still just 19 and has a huge future at the club. All he needs to do is convince the German manager that he can offer something by staying.

The next few weeks could prove to be make or break for Fort, and it remains to be seen whether he can build on his performance against Europa.