Barcelona want to shield 19-year-old La Masia ace with a new contract, Xavi counts on him

Barcelona have a wealth of young talents coming through the La Masia ranks that are knocking on the first-team doors.

Ansu Fati, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and now Lamine Yamal have all established a foothold in the first-team setup while there are others like Fermin Lopez and Marc Casado, who are in the first-team dynamics waiting to pounce on their opportunity.

Barcelona want to renew Casado’s contract

Having already tied down the future of Fermin Lopez with a new contract, Barcelona now want to shield Casado with a new long-term deal, reports Mundo Deportivo.

The 19-year-old has been in the first-team dynamics since pre-season but is yet to add to his solitary senior appearance which came against Viktoria Plzen back in 2022.

Casado is a defensive midfielder who is rated very highly within Barcelona. The La Masia ace was even handed the captaincy of Barça Atletic this season.

Xavi likes the teenager and wants to give him opportunities, something that the technical staff has been urging him to do for a while now.

The teenage midfielder’s contract expires next year, although the club have an option of extending it by another twelve months.

But the Blaugrana wish to hand him a new contract altogether and secure his long-term future. This comes after the La Liga champions turned down offers for him during the summer window.

Backup for Oriol Romeu

As iterated earlier, Casado is rated highly at the club and the technical staff sees him as a perfect cover for Oriol Romeu in the pivot midfield role.

Barcelona are understood to be looking for a new No. 6 in January, but Casado could be a serious option for the Catalans given his familiarity with the role and the club’s tactics.

It remains to be seen whether he gets regular opportunities this season or not, but what is clear is that the teenager continues to be in Xavi’s thoughts as an option for the first team.