Barcelona have reached an agreement to sell academy graduate Toni Fernandez to Venezia, bringing an end to the 18-year-old's time at La Masia while allowing the Catalan club to retain significant control over his future.
The deal, as reported before , is worth €4 million and is expected to include both a 50% sell-on clause and a buy-back option.
Those protections were particularly important to Barcelona sporting director Deco, who did not want the club to completely lose control of a player regarded as having considerable potential.
Notably, Fernandez's departure is also a change from Barcelona's original plan.
The club had initially wanted to extend his contract and then send him out on loan if he was unable to establish himself in Hansi Flick's first-team squad.
Instead, the youngster has opted for a permanent move to Italy.
Toni Fernandez will sign for Venezia in Serie A. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Notably, Fernandez had no shortage of options before making his decision.
Several clubs from Germany showed interest , while there were also approaches from elsewhere in Italy.
Furthermore, England provided another possible destination, with Aston Villa making a strong attempt to sign the Barcelona academy product.
Ultimately, Venezia's project appealed to him most, and, according to SPORT , the main reason he chose the Italian side is to secure regular first-team football rather than more development at youth level.
The Italian club has recently returned to Serie A and are putting together an ambitious squad.
Toni Fernandez had offers from Italy and England. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
They believe Fernandez can become an important part of their long-term plans and see similarities between his potential development and the pathway followed by players such as Nico Paz at Como.
Fernandez has spent years developing at La Masia, progressing rapidly through Barcelona's youth structure.
His natural position is attacking midfield, where his technical ability and creativity can have the greatest influence. However, he is also capable of playing out wide, giving him additional tactical flexibility.
That versatility is one of the qualities that has made him attractive to clubs outside Spain.
From Fernandez's perspective, remaining at Barcelona and accepting a loan was one option, but a permanent transfer gives him the opportunity to build his career around regular senior football rather than waiting for limited opportunities at Camp Nou.
