Barcelona underlined their position on Tuesday by telling the 20-year-old right-back not to complete full training sessions with the group, a precaution aimed at avoiding any injury that could complicate a move before the window closes.
Fort had hoped to remain at Camp Nou, but has accepted that head coach Hansi Flick has little room for him and that further first-team minutes elsewhere are the priority, much as they were last season.
Interest is not in short supply. Clubs from the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A have made contact with both Fort and Barcelona, in addition to sides in La Liga, though the academy graduate has yet to settle on a destination. He is taking his time over the decision and has not yet determined whether he would prefer another loan or a permanent transfer.
Barcelona's hierarchy favours a permanent sale, which would generate a clean capital gain, though nothing has been finalised and Fort retains the final say among the options on the table.
Should a transfer go through, Barcelona intend to retain either a buy-back clause or a sell-on percentage. His release clause currently stands at €100m, the kind of figure club president Joan Laporta reserves for academy graduates the club still rates highly, underlining that this is a squad decision rather than any loss of faith in his ability.
The competition ahead of him is stiff regardless: Jules Koundé remains first choice at right-back, Eric García has grown into a viable alternative, and the potential arrival of João Cancelo would squeeze his path further still.
Fort made 30 appearances for Barcelona's first team as an academy product before spending last season on loan at Elche, where he featured in 17 matches for the Alicante club.
An Under-20 international who can play on either flank, he signed a new contract in 2024 that runs until 2029, telling the club's media at the time: "Renewing with the club of my life is a dream" — sentiment that makes the prospect of departure even harder for a player La Masia has protected for years.