Birmingham & Preston - Barcelona's unlikely UK camp

What the report says

BBC Sport reported that Barcelona have chosen England’s Midlands for part of their pre-season, with Hansi Flick taking the La Liga champions to St George’s Park in Staffordshire for a training camp this week. The club are due to face Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Friday, then play Preston North End behind closed doors at St George’s Park on Monday.

According to the report, Barcelona ruled out a longer trip to the United States because of disruption linked to the World Cup schedule, with several senior internationals still absent or returning at different times. BBC Sport said Spain players including Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Pedri remain on a post-tournament break, while other internationals including Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo are also not available. New signing Karim Adeyemi is listed in the travelling group after his reported move from Borussia Dortmund.

The squad that arrived in Birmingham on Monday is described as a blend of established players and prospects from Barcelona B and the under-19s. Frenkie de Jong travelled despite a knee injury, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is also included even though BBC Sport says he has been expected to move to Ajax on loan and no deal has yet been completed.

The visit gives Birmingham a high-profile pre-season fixture as the club looks to raise its profile under chairman Tom Wagner and minority owner Tom Brady. Barcelona have used St George’s Park before, including in 2014 and 2016, and will also play short-format matches against Nottingham Forest and Udinese in Italy on 8 August.