Koeman asks Pedri to withdraw from the Olympics squad

Barça head coach, Ronald Koeman, has made it clear that he doesn't think Pedri should play in the upcoming Olympic Games, adding that he would prefer him to stay home and rest. "For a football player, two top-tier competitions in the same summer is too much. Pep Guardiola has already said this, and I agree with him. He played almost every game in the domestic season and has played just about every minute of [Spain's participation in] the European Championships. To have a four-day break and then fly to Japan to play in the Olympics is not ideal. It's too much", he said.

Koeman was very critical of the Olympics. "It's just a personal opinion, but for me the Olympic Games are athletics and other sports - but not football. This is what I think, at least. I understand that the players are keen to play, but we have a tightly-packed schedule and we need to protect our players".

The coach believes, however, that Pedri has already made his mind up, and that he can only wait for the players to return from the tournament. "[Óscar] Mingueza and Eric García are also going to be in the squad with Pedri. We're going to start the season here, and we'll have to win. Let's see when they get back".