Hansi Flick Pushes for Karim Adeyemi at Barcelona

Hansi Flick wants his Barcelona era to start at full speed, not from a standing position. And in his mind, that means Karim Adeyemi in a Blaugrana shirt on day one.

With pre-season due to begin on Monday, the new Barça coach is pushing for the Borussia Dortmund winger to be signed and integrated immediately, according to Gerard Romero. The message from Flick’s camp is clear: he wants Adeyemi “with the group on Monday at the start of the Blaugrana preseason.”

That urgency has already sent a ripple through Europe. Barcelona’s bid for Adeyemi has surprised some, but the player is understood to be keen on the move to Camp Nou, viewing it as the next step in a career that has already taken him from Salzburg to Dortmund and into the Germany setup.

The timing is awkward. The squad is scheduled to report back next week, yet Flick will be missing a string of headline names, many of them either still involved in World Cup 2026 duties or on a delayed break after the tournament. The training ground will not be full of stars. It could, however, be the perfect stage for a new signing to make an early impression.

Adeyemi is already halfway through the door. Reports suggest he has agreed personal terms with Barcelona, leaving the two clubs to thrash out a fee. Dortmund hold the contract and the leverage; Barcelona hold the coach who knows exactly what he wants.

And Flick knows Adeyemi well. The pair worked together in the German national team setup, where the coach got a close look at the winger’s explosive pace, direct running and willingness to press. That familiarity explains the insistence. Flick is not just asking for a winger; he is asking for this winger.

At 24, Adeyemi fits the profile Barcelona have tried to lean into in recent years: young, quick, technically sharp, with room to grow and resale value attached. For a club still juggling finances and ambition, getting a deal over the line quickly is rarely simple. Yet the sporting argument is strong, and the coach’s demand is unambiguous.

If Barcelona can find common ground with Dortmund in the coming days, Flick could walk onto the training pitch on Monday with one of “his” players already in place. If they cannot, his first pre-season in charge will begin with a question hanging over it: how long will he have to wait for the winger he clearly sees as central to his new project?