According to MARCA , Marc Casado 's departure from Barcelona came after a relationship that had deteriorated significantly, with the midfielder unhappy with his treatment and the club frustrated by the way his exit was handled.
The 22-year-old was expected to leave Barcelona permanently after being told that he would have very limited opportunities under Hansi Flick.
Instead, with no suitable buyer emerging before the transfer deadline, Casado eventually joined Deportivo La Coruña on loan .
Barcelona had been targeting a fee of around €25 million for the midfielder, which is considerably less than the €30m-€40m valuation attached to him the previous summer.
The club ultimately ended up accepting a loan agreement in which it will continue covering a significant portion of his wages, leaving both sides dissatisfied.
The writing was on the wall at the end of last season. Casado was informed that staying at Barcelona would likely mean spending much of the campaign on the bench.
His playing time had dropped sharply in the 2025/26 season, with the midfielder featuring for roughly half the minutes he had accumulated the previous season and starting only around half as many matches.
His prospects became even less encouraging with Gavi and Marc Bernal still recovering from injuries and Barcelona adding Rodri to the midfield.
Rodri's arrival changed the equation considerably. With the new signing expected to feature regularly, there was little obvious space for Casado to establish himself as a first-choice option.
Barcelona subsequently spoke with Casado's agent Jorge Mendes towards the end of the previous season.
The two sides agreed that the midfielder would leave, with Mendes tasked with finding a new club and Barcelona setting the asking price at approximately €25m.
The club's sporting department believes the previous summer was the better opportunity to sell him, when his market value was much higher.
At that point, though, Flick had not made Casado's limited role as clear as he would later in the summer.
The problem was that a permanent transfer never materialised.
Barcelona had initially hoped to resolve the situation before June 30, but as the transfer window progressed without an offer that met their expectations, frustration grew inside the club.
"Mendes is stringing us along,"was the feeling expressed within Barcelona's offices.
The situation dragged on until deadline day, when Deportivo emerged as the remaining option.
At the same time, Casado also rejected approaches from Saudi Arabia and Turkey during the process, further narrowing his alternatives.
His eventual loan move was therefore a last-minute solution rather than Barcelona's preferred outcome.
The Catalan club will pay half of his salary, making the deal considerably less attractive financially than the permanent sale they had wanted.
