The FC Barcelona files that Deco must review regarding renewals

FC Barcelona wants to secure its long-term future by renewing its stars. This was demonstrated in the January transfer market, in which the Blaugrana only relocated Álex Valle, who was on loan at Celtic and moved to Fàbregas' Como 1907. The efforts were focused on renewing players of vital importance to the current squad. Most of the pupils managed by Hansi Flick are very young, so extending their contractual ties with the club will ensure the future of the entity.

After the signings of Gerard Martín, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Pedri and Cubarsí at the beginning of this year, the task of extending the union of several players with Barça is still very much in force. To avoid problems later, Deco has been working on this matter for some time. The most urgent cases are those of Wojciech Szczesny and Iñigo Martínez, whose contracts end in 2025. They are very different from each other. Regarding the Polish goalkeeper, the Board of Directors must make a decision on his future, taking into account the return of Ter Stegen. On the other hand, the Basque defender will automatically renew his contract if he plays half of the games in which he is available, so the situation is not a cause for concern.

Eight players end their contracts in 2026

The renewals that require the most speed to tackle are those that involve avoiding a player leaving for free this summer, such as the two cases mentioned above. However, it is also important to work on those players whose contract ends in 2026, as was the case with Ronald Araujo and Pedri. Seven men in the current squad are in this situation: Iñaki Peña, Christensen, Eric García, Frenkie de Jong, Pablo Torre, Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski. Likewise, Bernal has the same year as the end date of his union with Barça, but it is only a legal issue because he is a minor, there are actually another 3 optional seasons (2029).

A priori, Lamine's case is tied to the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, but we have to wait until he turns 18, on July 13, to announce it. With Lewandowski there is an automatic clause that ties him until 2026 if he plays half of the games in which he is available, although there is an agreement to renew it without waiting for this condition to be met. On the other hand, the rest of the cases are somewhat more complex, since they are names whose situation is uncertain. Peña has lost his starting position to Szczesny; Christensen, Eric and Torre do not have a place in Flick's starting eleven, and the case of the Dutchman is tricky, since the club has been trying to extend his contract for some time, but there are difficulties.

In recent weeks, there have also been reports that Raphinha and Jules Koundé are among the players that Deco wants to renew. These are two undisputed players in FC Barcelona's starting eleven and, despite the fact that their contracts end in 2027, the Blaugrana technical secretariat wants to close their continuity as soon as possible. Thus, the Barça sporting director has a lot of work ahead of him.