FC Barcelona hopes to resolve the renewals of three of the four players whose contracts expire at the end of 2025/26 before the end of the year. This is the case of Frenkie de Jong, Eric García, and Andreas Christensen, with whom the Barça management has made good progress on extending their respective contracts, knowing the players' desire to stay.
The Dane's renewal is probably the one taking the longest, as the club is still unclear on the terms of his continuity. In the case of the Dutchman and the player from Martorell, everything is progressing as planned, and agreements should be finalized in the coming weeks.
The other Barça footballer whose contract ends in 2026 is Robert Lewandowski. However, the club will take a few more months to evaluate his continuity, with the '9' being the highest-paid player in the squad (26 million gross per year). Due to his age (37), the Pole will have to justify a contract extension with pure performance, something that, for the moment, seems far from being achieved.
Frenkie de Jong's renewal, a total priority for Barça
The scenario with Frenkie de Jong is very different. Although his criticism of the League match against Villarreal in Miami did not please the board much, the agreement between the club and the midfielder is very close to being finalized, as confirmed by the player himself.
"Basically, as I've always said, I'm going to renew with Barcelona. We are very close," he said this week while with the Netherlands national team.
Deco and Joan Laporta have also publicly confirmed the desire of both parties to extend the bond that has united them for the last seven seasons, something that, according to the latest reports, could finally happen this week.
The delay in signing De Jong's new contract had to do with personal matters to be resolved by the '21'. The player from Arkel changed agents this year, which left him with several pending legal loose ends.
In turn, this marked a key step in unlocking his renewal with Barça, since Ali Dursun (HCM Sports), his lifelong agent, was in charge of delaying negotiations between the parties, rejecting the initial agreement proposed by the club in 2023.
Eric García and Andreas Christensen: different situations, same desire
With Eric García and Andreas Christensen, however, there are different scenarios. Both players are convinced that they will stay in Barcelona, but the club has doubts regarding the future of the Dane.
Although the 29-year-old player arrived on a 'free transfer' in 2022 and has always had a respectful and collaborative attitude towards the Blaugrana's interests, his recent history of injuries and salary (€9 million gross) have yet to convince the board about how beneficial his contract extension might be.
Christensen began the 25/26 season showing a good physical level both with Barça and his national team (accumulating 311' and 270' of action with the 'culés' and the Danes). In addition, Hansi Flick considers him an important piece for his rotation plan, although the '15' has not yet managed to earn a starting position.
In that sense, the context with Eric is much clearer. Martorell started in 6 of the first 8 league games, and his versatility and performance make him one of the most reliable defenders in the squad.
In principle, '24' should renew until 2030, just like Frenkie. As such, the Barça board could resolve three very important matters before the end of the year in order to face the upcoming transfer windows with greater peace of mind.
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