Barcelona confirm squad for pre-season tour as major Vissel Kobe U-turn is announced

Barcelona have included Marcus Rashford in their squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, with the on-loan Manchester United forward in line to make his debut for the club against Vissel Kobe on Sunday.

Earlier this week, Barcelona revealed that they would not be heading to Japan to take on Vissel Kobe due to a “serious breach of contract”.

"FC Barcelona announces that it has been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promotor," read a statement from the club.

"Nevertheless, the club will consider readjusting the leg of the summer tour in South Korea, where two games are scheduled against FC Seoul (31 July) and Daegu FC (4 August), if certain conditions are met by the promotor.

"If these conditions are met, then the club will travel to South Korea in the coming days. FC Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact it will have on the many, many Barca fans in Japan."

However, the issue has been resolved, with the squad flying to Japan on Friday morning, and the contest against Vissel Kobe will go ahead as originally planned.

"The men's first team return to Asia for pre-season in 2025-26 six years after their last pre-season tour in the region. Hansi Flick’s team will start their preparations for the upcoming season with a tour that will take them to Japan and South Korea to face Vissel Kobe on July 27, FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4," read a statement from the club.

Rashford in Barcelona squad for Asia tour

Rashford has been joined in the squad by fellow new arrivals Joan Garcia and Roony Bardghji, with all three in line to make their debuts against Vissel Kobe on Sunday.

After facing Vissel Kobe, the Catalan outfit will take on FC Seoul on July 31, before tackling Daegu on August 4; the team will then take on Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy ahead of their opening La Liga match of the season against Mallorca on August 16.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is a notable absentee from the squad, with the Germany international set to undergo an operation on a troublesome back issue next week.

Oriol Romeu and Pau Victor have also not made the trip, with the duo on the verge of leaving the club.

Youngsters Diego Kochen, Jofre Torrents, Pedro Fernandez, Guille Fernandez, Toni Fernandez will all be hoping to be given opportunities to impress over the three matches.

Full Barcelona squad for pre-season tour of Asia:

J Garcia, Szczesny, Pena, Kochen; Cubarsi, Balde, Araujo, Martinez, Christensen, Kounde, E Garcia, Fort, Martin, Jofre; Gavi, Pedri, F Lopez, Casado, Olmo, De Jong, Bernal, Guillermo, Fernandez; F Torres, Lewandowski, Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford, Roony, A Fernandez