FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta said that the decision by young talent Dro Fernandez to leave Barça to join Paris Saint-Germain, despite having agreed to a new contract with the Catalan giant, was "unpleasant".

The transfer is about to be completed, according to a source close to the negotiations speaking to AFP.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder, who is under contract until June 2027, is on the verge of joining PSG, who will pay the Catalan club a little more than his release clause of six million euros, according to several media outlets.

"We will talk about it when everything is settled, because the situation has been unpleasant," Joan Laporta told Catalunya Radio on Sunday evening.

"It was a surprise, because we had agreed on a different solution for his 18th birthday," the Barça president continued. But, according to him, "to our great surprise, his agent informed us that he could not honor what we had agreed upon," namely, an extension at Barcelona.

When contacted by AFP, PSG declined to comment.

Relations between the two clubs and their respective leaders have been very good for several years following the tensions surrounding the Super League, according to a source close to the matter. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the current president of the EFC (formerly the ECA, which represents European clubs), played a key role in Barcelona's return to the organization.

Having come through La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth academy, Dro Fernandez played eight matches with the Catalans.

"What I want to tell the young players at La Masia is that we are Barça and one of the best teams in the world," said Barça coach Hansi Flick when asked about the matter in early January. The German had given Dro Fernandez his first-team debut last September.

"We give them the opportunity to train with us, to progress every day alongside the best players in the world. We give them this opportunity, we support them, we believe in them, we give them confidence," he continued.

"You have to live for these colors, that's what I want to see. I don't want anything else, that's all I have to say," he insisted.

If the transfer is confirmed, Dro Fernandez would be PSG's first signing during the winter transfer window, and could be the only reinforcement for the reigning European champions.