​Barça Atletic’s failure to move up from the fourth division last season has placed the club before a tough set of choices about the futures of several players. A number of young prospects whoFeatured for Juliano Belletti’s reserve-team squad last term have technically outgrown the fourth tier and will likely need to ply their trade at a higher level with another club. This reality has driven a wave of transfers, as Barça looks to realign its talent pool with more challenging competitive environments.
The latest name to head the list is Brian Farinas. The 20-year-old midfielder is nearing a permanent move away from Barcelona to Girona, with sources indicating the agreement could be finalized in the coming days. Mundo Deportivo has reported that the transfer could be valued at around €1.5 million, with Barcelona retaining a 50 percent stake in the player’s rights. While earlier reports suggested Girona had yet to seal a deal despite mutual interest, new information points to progress in negotiations, and Farinas could soon be unveiled as a Girona player.
Barcelona’s rationale for letting Farinas depart centers on the need for regular game time at a higher level. Farinas enjoyed a productive season with Barça Atletic under Juliano Belletti, contributing five goals and seven assists across 33 appearances. He also had occasional exposure to Hansi Flick’s first team in training, but the prospects for regular senior minutes remained limited due to a crowded midfield landscape. A move to Girona would offer him the chance to compete in the Segunda División, a meaningful step up from the Segunda Federación, and provide a clearer path to regular senior football.
Having established himself with the reserves, Farinas now requires a more demanding weekly environment to continue his development. The proposed deal structure makes sense for Barça: an immediate €1.5 million return, coupled with a 50 percent rights retention that preserves future financial upside if Farinas progresses and is eventually sold on. Barcelona has grown more selective in how it manages La Masia departures, recognizing that not every promising academy product can reach Xavi’s or Flick’s first-team squad, particularly in a crowded midfield. Allowing talent to depart with some form of protection is prudent to avoid long-term costs if a player later shines elsewhere.
Farinas remains under contract with Barcelona until 2028 and has been with the club since joining from Villarreal in 2018. Given that context, his exit should be viewed as a deliberate development decision rather than an abandonment of a promising academy player. Girona presents an appealing alternative: a pathway to senior responsibility, meaningful minutes, and a familiar Catalan setting that can help him flourish away from Barça’s environment. For Farinas, the combination of regular competition and a supportive, nearby context may prove more valuable at this stage than another season of sporadic first-team opportunities.
While the deal still requires formal approval, the trajectory appears to be moving in the right direction for all parties involved. If completed, Farinas will join Girona to begin a new chapter that tests his readiness for higher-level football while offering Barcelona a strategic exit that preserves value and potential future flexibility. The coming weeks will determine how Farinas adapts to Girona’s system and the Segunda División, and whether this step accelerates his development toward becoming a regular senior player.