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La Masia starlets Pau Prim and Unai Hernández are reportedly set to leave FC Barcelona Atletic to commence a new journey in the Middle East.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Pau Prim, the 18-year-old midfielder, has agreed to join Qatari side Al-Sadd SC in a long-term deal. On the other hand, Unai Hernández, the 20-year-old midfielder is all set to join the Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad shortly.
These youngsters have not made it to the senior team with significant game-time yet, but FC Barcelona seems to have lost two extremely talented La Masia prospects.
🚨🇶🇦 Pau Prim, set to join Qatari side Al Sadd as verbal agreement has been reached.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2025
Barcelona’s 2006 born talent will leave the club with Qatar as next step. https://t.co/r9WPrmkyjC pic.twitter.com/0jt1au5JK2
Although Pau Prim was included in the senior team for a club friendly against Club America in December 2023, the midfielder is reportedly not interested in extending his contract.
Unai Hernández, who happens to be the Barca Atletic captain, has his contract expired in June 2025 as well, but seems to be heading to Saudi Arabia.
🚨🟡⚫️ Al Ittihad have reached verbal agreement to sign 20 year old midfielder Unai Hernández from Barcelona.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2025
€4.5m fixed fee, €500k add-ons and sell-on clause also included in package.
Formal details to be fixed before medical and signatures. pic.twitter.com/kx0FnTTW31
Barcelona lose two La Masia starlets
Pau Prim is already in discussions to join Saudi football when his contract expires at the end of the season. He has previously been considered a strong candidate to break into the first team at Barcelona.
In fact, he was even suggested by former Barcelona manager and club legend Xavi as a potential long-term successor to another FC Barcelona legend, Sergio Busquets.
Prim has been left out of the matchday squad by Barca Atletic manager Albert Sanchez in recent weeks, because he is reportedly reluctant to extend his contract, which runs out on June 30, 2025.
Al-Qadsiah, another Saudi Arabian side, also showed interest in the 18-year-old, along with unnamed clubs from Belgium. However, Prim has reportedly decided to join Al-Sadd, which was previously managed by Xavi.
🔴🔵💎 | 2 𝐋𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐀 𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐒 on their way to the 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓
— Rising Stars XI (@RisingStarXI) January 29, 2025
🇪🇸 Pau Prim (18) —> Al-Sadd 🇶🇦
🇪🇸 Unai Hernández (20) —> Al-Ittihad 🇸🇦
2 technical midfielders.
Pau Prim is a composed deep-lying midfielder known for his sharp passing and excellent ball control.… pic.twitter.com/Avy1lgYcjX
On the other hand, Unai Hernández has agreed to a three-year deal with Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Saudi club will pay a reported sum of €4.5 million for the 20-year-old starlet.
The current Barca Atletic Captain, Unai, played an integral part for the team's success this season, bagging 9 goals and 3 assists in 20 appearances.
According to SPORT, another Barca youth player that Saudi Arabia is eyeing is Arnau Pradas. His contract is set to expire in 2025 as well, and Al-Qadsiah have shown interest in the talented winger.
Unai Hernandez is not the only #Barca player that could be headed to Saudi Arabia in the near future. Teenage midfielder Pau Prim is also being targeted by Al-Qadsiah. (Sport) pic.twitter.com/k3UsTm5oVW
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 27, 2025
Pradas, the 18-year-old winger, has scored three goals and provided one assist in the UEFA Youth League this season. He has also played two matches with Barça Atletic this season.
Initially, he intended to renew his contract with Barcelona; however, the lack of communication from the club reportedly led him to explore other offers.
Gametime or money? What is driving the young talents to consider a move to the Middle East?
Qatar is often viewed as a destination for players looking to make considerable earnings toward the end of their careers, similar to the situations of Guardiola and Xavi.
The same can be said for Saudi Arabia, where well-known figures like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and many others have attracted significant attention. Moving to play in the Middle East at a young age may suggest a stoppage in one's football career or signal a challenging path to navigate in the future.
Although the financial beneficiaries are unavoidable, such decisions can have a profound impact on a player's career trajectory.
The opportunity at Barcelona may not arise, but both Pau and Unai have the talent to secure lucrative contracts with clubs like Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, or RB Leipzig, where young prospects are composed into a well-organized project, resulting in a better career path that benefits both the club and the player.
🇸🇦💎🌟 | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟕 𝐔𝟐𝟑 𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐀 𝐈𝐍 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒/𝟐𝟓
— Rising Stars XI (@RisingStarXI) September 2, 2024
🇪🇸 Gabri Veiga (22y, CM)
🇦🇷 Ezequiel Fernández (22y, DM)
🇧🇷 Marcos Leonardo (21y, ST)
🇧🇷 Aleksander (20y, DM)
🇪🇸 Iker Almena (20y, RW)
🇧🇷 Ângelo Gabriel (19y, RW)
🇧🇷… pic.twitter.com/Bvx4px1XNe
Some La Masia graduates in the past thrived on taking risks, such as Alejandro Grimaldo or Marc Cucurella. However, others, such as Ilaix Moriba, Mateu Morey, or Mboula, chose the quicker cash route and found it challenging. It is not impossible, but already proved to be hard to regain their status in elite football after stepping away from opportunities at top clubs.
Recently, the decision to let young players leave for lucrative but less competitive competitions has become increasingly complicated. Not every player will make it to the first team, as various factors influence which true talents from the academy rise to stardom at Barcelona or other major clubs.