FC Barcelona has brought an unforgettable season to a close. Hansi Flick’s debut season as coach of the Catalan giants has been nothing short of spectacular, with three titles under his belt and the team back to its best after a disappointing year. The mix of youth and experience has been the perfect combination for Barça to win the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and LaLiga, with the Champions League being the only blemish on their record.
At the end of the season, Deco took stock and gave a very positive assessment of the squad’s achievements. “This year we have strengthened with people from within the club. And this year we have seen that this team can compete. That gives you confidence. There are players with a lot of potential. We knew that Fermín was going to be better, Balde, Pedri, Olmo… And the older players provide stability. That’s the balance you look for in a squad.”
The team’s performance has set the roadmap for the sporting director this summer, with the priority being to keep the squad together by sealing several renewals. The next step will be to improve the salary cap with some departures that are necessary for both parties and, finally, to achieve the priority objective in the transfer market: a left winger. All of this is aimed at repeating what has been achieved next season and, as coach Hansi Flick says, going for the Champions League. “We work hard and try to play at the highest level, which is, of course, the Champions League level, and we also want to win the title,” he said.
Renewals
With the aim of keeping the team together, Barcelona has moved quickly to secure several key players this season. As Laporta said: “We don’t like them being a year away from the end of their contracts,” acknowledged the Barça president. This is another reason why the club has prioritized contract extensions over everything else. Work had already been done in this regard during the season, but with the end of the season, the first to be sealed was Hansi Flick’s continuity until 2027. Next on the list was Raphinha, who has been key and decisive this season and extended his contract until 2028.
The most eagerly awaited by all Barcelona fans was that of Lamine Yamal, who is about to turn 18 and signed his new contract this week. He has extended his contract until 2031 with a significant pay rise and a €1 billion release clause.
The club is already working on other renewals, such as that of goalkeeper Szczesny, who arrived at a time of urgency and has won over his coach and the fans between the sticks. The Polish player has already given his yes and is expected to sign for another year shortly. Frenkie De Jong is also expected to sign shortly, with a deadline of June 30, when his last year of contract begins. If he has not signed by that date, the club will put him on the market.
In addition, the club is finalizing the renewals of youth players Marc Casadó and Bernal, as well as working to extend the contract of Eric García, who still has one year left on his contract. Iñigo Martínez renewed for another year during the season, but it is not ruled out that he will extend his contract with Barcelona even further.
Departures
In terms of departures, Barça is considering saying goodbye to several players who will free up salary space and give the team more room to maneuver in order to sign the desired left winger and finalize some of the pending renewals. Names such as Ansu Fati, Iñaki Peña, Pablo Torre, and even Pau Víctor stand out in this regard.
Ansu Fati is finalizing his move to Monaco after a season in which his situation of ostracism had become untenable. The player showed star potential, but he has always been held back at Barça, either due to injuries or a lack of confidence. Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that negotiations between the clubs are progressing with a transfer fee of less than $20 million but with a significant buy-back clause.
In the case of Iñaki Peña, his residual role with the arrival of Szczesny has made him have a very difficult season in which the only option is to leave. He has several suitors in La Liga, as does Pau Victor, who is awaiting a conversation with the club but knows that he wants to play and get minutes, which will be very difficult at Barcelona.
Finally, there is the situation of Pablo Torre. The club continues to believe in the player’s potential, but he has no chance of becoming a key player at Barça. The priority for the Cantabrian player is a transfer that includes, perhaps, a buy-back option for Barça in the future.
Signings
As in previous seasons, FC Barcelona has its sights set on signing a new winger. This is a goal agreed upon by Deco and coach Hansi Flick. Both want a left-footed winger. Two of the main candidates are Luis Díaz of Liverpool and Rashford of Aston Villa, about whom Hansi Flick had this to say: “I don’t want to talk about players who are not in my team. But they are both fantastic, I like them, and we’ll see what happens. They are fantastic.”