Barcelona Focuses on Contract Renewals After Summer Signings

Barcelona have powered through a heavyweight summer window. Now comes the quieter fight – keeping the kids who are forcing their way into Hansi Flick’s plans.

After landing six big-name signings – Rodri, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus, Joao Cancelo and highly rated youngster Jesse Bisheo – the club’s sporting department has switched focus. With the window closed, the work has simply moved from the market to the meeting room.

The message from the boardroom is clear: reward the young core that has stepped up under Flick and protect them with stronger contracts and higher release clauses.

Hamza Abdelkarim sets the tone

At the front of the queue stands Hamza Abdelkarim. Just 18, he used pre-season to announce himself as a pure No 9, and Barcelona listened.

His performances earned him a significant upgrade: improved salary, a higher release clause and an extra year on his deal, which now runs until 2030. Abdelkarim’s renewal is the template the club want to follow with the rest of their emerging talents – pay them like first-teamers, tie them down for the long term, and make it expensive for anyone thinking of prising them away.

Bernal delivers, Barca respond

Next up: Marc Bernal, 19. Flick already trusts him, and the club have long known what they have on their hands.

Bernal is currently tied to Barcelona until 2029. After his knee injury, the club backed him, improving his contract and lifting his release clause to 500 million euros, with a clear promise: if he produced on the pitch, they would sit back down and talk again.

He has done exactly that since returning from injury. Now it’s Barcelona’s turn to keep their word. Negotiations over a pay rise are already under way, with Deco in direct contact with his agent, Raul Verdu. The structure is there, the performances are there; the new deal is expected to follow.

Martin next in line for a bump

Gerard Martin, 24, is another who has convinced Flick. He is not just a squad filler – he is part of the coach’s rotation, and the club want his contract to reflect that.

Martin is currently under contract until 2028, with a 100 million euro release clause. Barcelona’s plan is straightforward: extend his stay, raise his salary and push that clause up to a more protective level. The player knows exactly where the club stand and is aware an extension is coming.

Espart, Flick’s big gamble, to be upgraded

If there is one player who embodies Flick’s willingness to take risks on youth, it is Xavi Espart.

The 19-year-old arrived in 2025 on a deal until 2028, but those were the terms of a reserve-team player. This season, Flick has gone all in, handing him a first-team number and a real role in the squad.

That leap on the pitch now has to be matched on paper. Barcelona want to adjust his contract to first-team standards. His agent is the same as Ferran Torres’s, but the club do not foresee complications; they expect the renewal to be wrapped up without drama.

Farinas stays, now needs to be paid like it

The last name on the current renewal list is Bryan Farinas, 20. His situation almost took a very different turn.

Under contract until 2028, Farinas was close to joining Girona. Then Frenkie de Jong’s injury changed everything. Flick chose to keep him, and the youngster has since been given a first-team number.

What hasn’t changed yet is his pay packet. Farinas is still on a reserve-team salary despite his elevated role. Barcelona intend to correct that and extend his deal, with an agreement expected to run until 2031.

The big signings grabbed the headlines this summer. The real test of Barcelona’s project under Flick, though, may lie in how firmly they can lock down the generation now growing into the shirt.