Who is Dro Fernández? PSG sign wonderkid from Barcelona for €8.2m fee fee

Chelsea were interested 

Whilst Lamine Yamal is the most valuable player in the world at just 18 yers of age, Barcelona already have the next generation of talent coming through on the La Masia conveyor belt. But they’ve now lost a supreme talent in Dro Fernández, who has joined PSG. His full name is Pedro Fernández Sarmiento, and his mother is from the Philippines. Although 11,000km away from Barcelona, the progress of the young talent is being closely monitored in the Asian country. The young talent brings back memories of Paulino Alcántara, who 100 years ago, played for both national teams and went on to win 10 Catalan championships.

Fernández was initially supposed to play for Barça Atlétic in the fourth division. However, he exceeded expectations during pre-season, and when fit, was always in Hansi Flick’s squad. Although Fernández has played only a few games for Barça, Flick had no problem starting the teenager in important matches. The 17-year-old made his starting XI debut against Real Sociedad this season, and one month later made his debut in the Champions League. But his future will lie away from the Camp Nou, with Paris Saint-Germain sealing a deal for the teenager and it’s understood they will pay €8.2m for his services. Fernández has a current market value of €10 million.

The inside track from Spain

“He is a great player who will just get better,” Flick said last year of Fernández. “Dro is very talented. You can see it in training. I love to see it.” A scout who watches the player in every training session at Barça’s training centre is Joan Gampar, and he said to Transfermarkt: “He has many positive attributes. He is strong in one-on-ones, has good dribbling skills, and is fantastic at step overs. He is a big talent. He still has to work on his physical attributes and needs to learn to finish better.” He also featured in our 2025 Talents Calendar last December.

Born in Galicia, not far from the border to Portugal, Fernández joined Barça from ED Val Miñor Nigrán and quickly ascended through the ranks. In three years, he worked his way from the U15s to the first team. Last season, he helped his club win the Youth League. Despite all that, he is known for being humble. “He was always an uncomplicated, normal boy,” his first coach, Luis Pérez, said in an interview with Sport. “He was quite shy in his first training sessions, but with time, he got used to his surroundings. I can remember seeing him play with kids two years older than him. At first you wouldn’t notice him, and then he would get started, and it was spectacular.”

Despite a good start with the first team that also earned him a market value increase of €10m, his former coach suggests more patience when it comes to Fernández’s development. “He isn’t a typical player who will right away leave a mark, but with more playing time, his confidence will grow, because he can do even more than he has already shown,” Pérez added. The main question remains about his best position. Is he a no.10, a no.8, or a winger?