Hansi Flick has omitted a trio of transfer-linked first-teamers from Barcelona's squad for Sunday's La Liga opener against Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, with the futures of Alejandro Balde, Marc Casadó and Héctor Fort all in doubt ahead of the summer deadline.

The Catalans travel to the east coast fresh from seeing arch-rivals Real Madrid get the better of Espanyol on Saturday, and will be hopeful of responding with three points of their own as they begin the defence of their Spanish top-flight crown. But the Blaugrana will do so without the contributions of Balde, Casadó and Fort, all of whom have been heavily linked with respective departures from Camp Nou.

Balde's omission and the transfer rumour mill

Balde's absence raised eyebrows given there is no injury involved — it is, in the words of those close to the squad, a tactical decision. Reports on Saturday claimed the left-back had decided to move on after fresh talks between the club and his agent, Jorge Mendes. Manchester United, Aston Villa and Benfica have all been linked with the youngster in the last week as he looks to find a new club for the 2026-27 season.

Out of Flick's plans, the Camp Nou brass are hopeful of securing considerable sums for all three over the coming days.

Flick explains his call

The German coach lifted the lid on his decision ahead of kick-off, revealing that he did not believe Balde was fully focused. "We have to manage the minutes, I hope to have six players who can play 90 minutes," Flick told the media. "I spoke with Balde this morning and told him that I think he's not here at 100%, clear your mind and then we'll talk."

Those comments suggest there is still a chance Balde could remain at Barcelona, with the pair set to speak again after the match.

Casadó and Fort also left behind

Defenders Fort and midfielder Casadó were also left out of the travelling party and are expected to leave the club before the window closes. In more positive news for the squad, Jordi Pesquer has been named for the trip to Elche, while Joao Cancelo also gets the nod after completing his permanent transfer from Al-Hilal.