Marc Casado Opens Up on Barcelona Exit for Deportivo Loan

Marc Casado said it was “always complicated to leave Barcelona” after agreeing to join Deportivo de La Coruña on a season-long loan. The Barcelona midfielder is set to move to the recently promoted La Liga club in a deal that includes an option for Deportivo to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old made his feelings clear while preparing to leave the city, following a difficult few days in which Barcelona had been seeking a destination for him. Casado had been left without a shirt number and was training apart from the first-team squad as the club worked on his departure.

Barcelona had made it clear that Casado was not in coach Hansi Flick’s plans for the new season. While acknowledging the circumstances of his exit, the midfielder also looked ahead positively to the opportunity offered by Deportivo.

Casado addresses a difficult Barcelona departure

Stopped by the press before leaving, Casado did not conceal his disappointment over the way he had been treated. “We all have things to improve,” he said, before adding that leaving Barcelona was not straightforward.

“It is always complicated to leave Barcelona,” Casado said. His words came after the midfielder agreed the one-year move to Deportivo, bringing an end to his immediate first-team prospects at the club where he developed through the system.

Casado has made 75 first-team appearances for Barcelona. A defensive midfielder, he began his senior career with Barcelona B in 2022 and remained there until 2024 before establishing himself at first-team level.

His Barcelona spell included a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España. He also made his international debut for Spain in 2024. Despite that record, Barcelona’s decision was to send him on loan to another club in the Spanish top flight.

The move gives Casado a new setting for the season while leaving open the possibility of a permanent switch. Deportivo’s option to buy means the loan could become a longer-term arrangement once the campaign is complete.

An exciting project in A Coruña

Casado said he was happy to take up Deportivo’s offer, describing the club’s plan as an “exciting project.” Deportivo have been active in the transfer market during the summer after returning to the top flight, and the arrival of a player with Barcelona first-team experience is part of that activity.

The midfielder was born on September 14, 2003, in Sant Pere de Vilamajor, Spain. At 22, he now faces a season away from Barcelona after the club concluded that he would not feature in Flick’s plans.

For Deportivo, the agreement brings in a player who has played regularly for Barcelona’s first team and has won major domestic honours. For Casado, it offers a chance to begin the next stage of his career with a club he believes has presented a compelling opportunity.

What the loan means for Barcelona and Deportivo

Casado’s departure underlines Barcelona’s decision to reshape their options for the new season. The immediate outcome is a season-long loan, with Deportivo holding the choice to turn it into a permanent move at the end of the campaign.

Deportivo, founded in 1906, have previously won La Liga once, in 1999-2000, and have also lifted the Spanish Cup twice. Having made their return to the first division, they now add Casado to a squad being strengthened for the season ahead.

Casado leaves Barcelona with mixed emotions but a clear message about the challenge of moving on from the club. His focus now turns to Deportivo and the project that persuaded him to accept the loan.