The board of FC Barcelona has a 25-day deadline to request a long-term leave of absence (four or more months) for Andreas Christensen. The period ends on January 15th and allows the club to save 80% of the center-back's salary, although the actual percentage will be a maximum of 60% because only five months of the season remain.
Regardless of whether the club decides to sign another player in the winter market, Christensen's absence seems logical for two reasons. First, the Dane's salary, which amounts to **13 million gross annually**. With his inclusion on the list of seriously injured players, **Barça would save up to 6.5 million** from the 29-year-old defender's wages, whose contract ends in June.
Furthermore, the severity of the '15's injury points to **a minimum recovery period of three to four months**. Andreas suffered a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament on December 20th, during the training session prior to the league match against Villarreal
Barça could soon resolve Christensen's renewal
Although the club opted for conservative treatment to avoid surgery that would have sidelined the defender for at least eight months, many doubt that Christensen will play again this season.
The player from Lillerod played 515 minutes in 17 games (4 as a starter) with Hansi Flick's team before getting injured. Although he was a regular substitute for the manager, this is a significant loss in defense. Andreas had just scored in the Copa del Rey against Guadalajara and, while Ronald Araujo completes his recovery after his return, he was set to play a lot of minutes in January
In this regard, the latest information from within the Blaugrana camp indicates that Joan Laporta could soon meet with the footballer's agents to finalize the terms of his renewal. Barça values the professionalism of the center-back, who has always been willing to help the team and has openly expressed his desire to stay despite knowing he is a substitute
Christensen signed in 2022 as a free agent and could leave the same way this summer. However, Barça does not intend to abandon him to his fate when injuries seem to have taken their toll on him. The defender **missed practically all of 24/25 due to muscular problems** and, now, runs the risk of missing the World Cup due to another serious injury.
So far, the 29-year-old player has 5 titles and 97 official appearances in the Blaugrana jersey, in addition to 5 goals and 3 assists. The idea would be to sign him for two seasons, with a salary adjustment that facilitates his loan move in the summer, should a good offer arrive and Hansi Flick discard him for the 25/26 season.
The signing of another center-back does not affect Christensen's future
Beyond the possibility of signing another center-back in January, this move would not affect the Catalan board's plan for Andreas Christensen. Deco and Joan Laporta have several names on their radar, but Barça does not plan to spend a lot on another defender in the transfer window that opens on January 2.
What is clear is that there would be room to sign reinforcements until February 2 (with the exception of signing players without a current contract) and until February 5 to register players for the Champions League. The idea would be to bring in a 'low cost' option, taking advantage of the margin freed up by the Dane's absence.
For now, nothing is confirmed, but there is a clear picture of the future of a Christensen who is already working, along with Pablo Gavi, on his recovery with the final stretch of 25/26 in mind.