Barcelona have exercised their buy-back clause to re-sign Martina Fernández from Everton, with the 21-year-old centre-back agreeing a contract until 2029.
Fernández returns after starting all 22 Women’s Super League fixtures during her first full season on Merseyside. Her performances also earned a first call-up to Spain’s senior squad.
When she initially left Barcelona in January 2025, Fernández was returning from a meniscus injury and searching for regular football. Eighteen months later, she comes back with an uninterrupted WSL season behind her and a stronger claim to first-team opportunities.
Transfer Snapshot
- Player: Martina Fernández
- Age: 21
- Position: Centre-back
- From: Everton
- To: FC Barcelona
- Transfer status: Permanent transfer through a buy-back clause
- Contract: Until 2029
- Transfer fee: Not disclosed
Why Barcelona Allowed Her to Leave
Martina Fernández made her Barcelona debut during the 2021-22 season at 17 and later established herself around the senior squad. She featured 22 times under Jonatan Giráldez during the 2023-24 campaign, including 15 appearances and 12 starts in Liga F. Her progress was then interrupted by a meniscus injury that kept her out for three months.
After recovering during the summer of 2024, Fernández made two further Liga F appearances. The difficulty was no longer returning to fitness; it was finding enough matches to rebuild momentum inside Barcelona’s first team.
Everton provided that opportunity. Fernández joined the WSL club on loan in January 2025. She impressed sufficiently during those first six months for Everton to make the transfer permanent ahead of the following campaign. Barcelona, however, ensured that the agreement contained a route back.
Everton Turned Potential Into Evidence
The buy-back clause became important because Fernández’s first full Everton season removed much of the uncertainty surrounding her development.
She started every one of the club’s 22 WSL fixtures, moving from occasional senior involvement in Barcelona to the weekly responsibility of playing at centre-back in England.
That consistency was the most valuable part of her time away. Fernández did not return to Barcelona on the strength of a short run of promising performances. She produced an entire league season in which Everton trusted her from the opening match to the last.
Her first Spain senior call-up provided further recognition. Fernández was selected alongside Everton teammates Inma Gabarro and Ornella Vignola, adding an international consequence to her club breakthrough. Everton gave Fernández the platform she needed. Barcelona have now decided that the results of that opportunity belong back in their squad.
The Buy-Back Clause Worked as Intended
Young players leaving major clubs often face an uncertain route back. A permanent transfer can provide greater stability, but it can also end the connection with the team where they developed.
Barcelona are bringing back a different player from the one who left in January 2025. Fernández has recovered from injury, adapted to another league and shown she can carry a starting role across a full season.
Her contract until 2029 makes clear that this is not a temporary homecoming. Barcelona see her WSL development as part of their longer-term defensive planning.
Returning to a Changing Defence
Martina Fernández does not return to the same defensive group she left. Barcelona have been reshaping the area, with experienced players departing and new defenders being introduced. Marta Torrejón has renewed for another season, Carla Julià has been promoted to the first team and Renée van Asten has arrived from Ajax.
Fernández adds another profile to that transition: a Barcelona-developed centre-back who has already completed a full season as a WSL starter.
That does not guarantee her an automatic position. Competition at Barcelona will be different from the responsibility she received at Everton, and Fernández must show that her development in England can translate back into Pere Romeu’s team.
The club also carries responsibility. Activating a buy-back clause only has value if the returning player receives a genuine opportunity to use what she learned while away.
Everton Lose Their Most Reliable Starter
For Everton, the transfer removes a defender who started every league fixture last season. They knew Barcelona retained the option to bring Fernández back, but that does not make replacing her straightforward. Everton must now find another centre-back capable of providing similar availability and consistency.
Martina Fernández leaves after only 18 months, yet her spell achieved something meaningful for every party involved.
Everton gained a regular defender during an important period. Fernández secured the sustained senior football her career needed. Barcelona regained a player whose readiness is supported by far more evidence than when she departed.
The final test belongs to Barcelona. They created a pathway that allowed Fernández to develop elsewhere; now they must ensure that pathway leads to a real role at home.
Source: FC Barcelona
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