Héctor Fort is a new player for Real Sociedad. The 20-year-old right-back has officially signed with the Basque club after leaving FC Barcelona, as confirmed by the newspaper Mundo Deportivo on Monday.
The deal involves a fee of approximately 8.5 million euros for 50% of the player's rights. Fort has signed a contract tying him to Real Sociedad until 2031. FC Barcelona, the club where the player was formed for 13 years, secures a buy-back option of 20 million euros until 2028 and another of 25 million for 2029, plus a percentage of any future sale.
Why is Héctor Fort leaving Barcelona?
Héctor Fort's departure from Barcelona stems from a sporting decision by coach Hansi Flick after pre-season. The German manager did not find a place for the young full-back in his squad. At right-back, Barça has Eric García, Jules Koundé and Xavi Espart. This situation led the club to seek an exit that would bring financial benefit, part of a new policy from the sporting direction. When an academy graduate has no place in the first team, the entity seeks economic compensation while retaining a percentage or a buy-back clause, a formula also applied in the departures of Jofre Torrents and Toni Fernández, and which in principle will be used for Guille Fernández.
Fort had several offers, including one from Borussia Dortmund, but the German club did not meet the 15 million euros initially requested by Barcelona. The player travelled to San Sebastián on Saturday morning and was able to watch his new teammates in the match against Espanyol that same afternoon. Real Sociedad faces a difficult start to the league, sitting in 20th place with zero points after two defeats, having scored just one goal and conceded five. Check the team's progress on our standings page.
What does Fort bring to Real Sociedad?
Héctor Fort arrives to bolster a needed position. At Real Sociedad he will compete for the spot with Jon Aramburu and Álvaro Odriozola, the latter with a long-term injury. His signing is a bet on youth and potential. The Catalan club closely followed his loan spell at Elche last season, where his performances under coach Eder Sarabia were so positive that a return to the first team was considered. He enjoyed good minutes playing on the right flank, although a bad fall after scoring his first league goal led to shoulder surgery. He was able to play the final part of the campaign, showing his capacity for recovery.
His arrival aims to bring defensive solidity to a team that has conceded five goals in its first two matches. The next challenge is the home game against Celta Vigo, who occupy fourteenth place, on September 3rd. You can see the full schedule in our fixtures section.
What is Real Sociedad's sporting context?
The signing of Fort comes at a delicate time for Real Sociedad. The team starts the season bottom of LaLiga, with zero points and a record of zero wins, zero draws and two losses. Their recent form is two consecutive losses (LL). With just one goal for and five against, the goal difference is -4. In the title race, the Basque side finds itself seven points behind leaders Alavés. The need to turn things around is urgent, and the signing of Fort is intended as a first step to strengthen the defence and add freshness. The full-back joins a squad searching for its first win, and his quick adaptation will be key to improving defensive numbers. To check the status of the rest of the squad, visit our injuries section.
The operation closes a 13-year chapter at La Masía for Héctor Fort and opens a new one at Real Sociedad. The club trusts that his talent and youth will help turn around a complicated league table situation from the right flank.
