According to Javi Miguel of AS , FC Barcelona defender Alvaro Cortes is set to leave the club and sign for Belgian club Royal Antwerp imminently.
The La Masia defender was not called up for tonight's La Liga game against Athletic Club at the Spotify Camp Nou and a departure is now understood to be close.
Cortes made his first-team debut for Barcelona last season and made a solid impression in the opportunities he received under Hansi Flick during pre-season as well.
However, the 20-year-old was clear that if he was not going to play for the first team, he would rather leave the club.
He communicated that position to Flick several weeks ago. The German coach understood his stance but asked him to accept the challenge of competing for a place.
Alvaro Cortes set to leave. (Picture credit: Instagram/@alvaarocortes)
Cortes was initially willing to do so, but the imminent arrival of a left-footed centre-back to strengthen the first team became the decisive factor in his decision to seek a move.
A loan to Elche had initially been discussed for the season , but the final decision has been more definitive: the young centre-back has agreed to join Belgian side Royal Antwerp on a permanent transfer.
Barcelona are retaining a buy-back clause, although the financial details have not been disclosed.
Cortes joined Barça in 2023 from Real Zaragoza and spent three years with the club's reserve side. He made his first-team debut on May 13, appearing in a La Liga match against Alaves.
Headed to Belgium. (Photo courtesy: Instagram/alvaarocortes)
Before pre-season began, the defender had already made his position clear. He wanted to remain with the first team, but had no intention of dropping back to Barça Atletic if his position was already covered.
He therefore preferred to move elsewhere in search of regular playing time and new opportunities.
Cortes will not be the final departure from Barcelona in the coming days. Two other cases remain unresolved: Hector Fort and Marc Casado.
Fort is close to completing a transfer to Real Sociedad, while Casado is weighing several offers from Premier League clubs, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
