Toni Fernández set to join Venezia as Barcelona retain a route back

Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement to sell Toni Fernández to Venezia. The Italian club are expected to pay €4 million, while Barça will retain a 50 per cent sell-on clause and a buy-back option.

Fabrizio Romano reported the structure of the operation. The agreement is not official yet, with the contracts and announcements still to follow, but the main conditions are said to have been settled.

It is a deal designed to protect Barcelona in almost every scenario. The club receive an immediate fee without completely surrendering control over the future of one of La Masia’s notable prospects. If Fernández develops in Italy and is later sold, Barça will collect half of the transfer fee. If his progress convinces them to bring him home, the buy-back clause will provide that route.

Barcelona are selling the player, but not their right to regret it later.

Fernández joined Barça’s academy from Espanyol in 2018. The left-footed attacker can operate on the wing, behind the striker or in a more central role. He made his first-team debut against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey on 4 January 2025, aged 16 years, five months and 17 days. That made him Barcelona’s second-youngest debutant of the 21st century, behind only Lamine Yamal.

He subsequently trained with the senior squad and received limited first-team opportunities, but regular minutes remained difficult to find. Being close to Barcelona’s first team is valuable. At 18, actually playing senior football is considerably more useful.

His contractual situation also encouraged a decision. Fernández was entering the final year of his Barcelona deal, making this an important moment for the club to either extend his contract or arrange a departure. Barça have chosen the second option while securing several forms of protection for the future.

Venezia receive a technically gifted and versatile attacker who still has considerable room to develop. Barcelona receive €4m, half of any future sale and a potential path to bring their academy graduate back. On paper, it is a transfer. In practice, the goodbye comes with several conditions attached.

Neither club has officially confirmed the move. For now, it remains a verbal agreement reported by Fabrizio Romano and Italian outlets including Football Italia.