Barcelona Cash in on Tommy Marques as Braga Secures Midfielder
Barcelona are preparing to say goodbye to one of their most promising academy midfielders, with 19-year-old Tommy Marques set to join Braga in a permanent deal worth up to €12 million.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has already delivered his trademark “Here we go”, and this time it backs up a deal that suits all three parties: Barcelona, Braga, and the player himself.
€10m up front, add-ons to follow
Braga have agreed to pay €10 million as a fixed fee, with a further €2 million available through bonuses. The agreement is in place between the clubs, and Marques has already accepted the Portuguese side’s proposal.
The move comes despite concrete interest from two German clubs, who had also explored the possibility of signing the young midfielder. When the offers were weighed up, Marques chose to return to Portugal and make Braga the next stop in his career.
For Barcelona, the fee represents a significant return on a player who, while highly rated, had not yet established himself in the first team.
From Flick’s orbit to the exit door
Last season, Marques hovered on the edge of Hansi Flick’s senior squad. Officially registered with Barcelona’s reserve team, he still trained regularly with the first team and was viewed internally as one of the more advanced youngsters in the pipeline.
He even tasted first-team football. At 18, he made his debut on February 7 in a 3-0 win over Mallorca at Camp Nou, coming on for a brief six-minute cameo, and later added another short appearance against Alaves. It looked like the beginning of a gradual integration.
Then the picture started to change.
As pre-season unfolded, his role shrank rather than grew. In the Udine triangular tournament, Marques managed only 28 minutes, featuring in Barcelona’s 1-0 defeat to Udinese. For a player hoping to cement a place in the senior group, that limited involvement felt like a warning sign.
The reduced minutes were not a coincidence. They were a signal.
Rodri’s arrival closes the door
Marques entered the summer with a realistic chance of pushing closer to the first team, especially with the expected departure of Marc Casado seemingly clearing one obstacle in the midfield hierarchy.
But Barcelona’s decision to go all-in for Rodri changed everything.
With the Manchester City midfielder now set to arrive, the competition in the middle of the pitch is about to become even more fierce. For a 19-year-old still trying to establish himself, the pathway that once looked open suddenly narrowed.
A regular role in the senior squad no longer felt attainable in the short term. At that point, a permanent transfer stopped being a disappointment and started looking like a logical career move.
Barcelona, needing to balance their squad and their books, accepted a strong offer. Braga, sensing an opportunity, moved decisively. And Tommy Marques, faced with a choice between waiting for chances or taking control of his future, chose to leave.
Now the question is simple: will this be remembered as a smart piece of business by Barcelona, or the one that got away?
