Barcelona youngster set to renew until 2025/26, deal could be signed before Christmas

According to journalist Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona youngster Inaki Pena is on the verge of renewing his contract with the club, with the deal likely to be sealed before Christmas. The 23-year-old will pen a new contract that will keep him at Camp Nou until 2025/26.

A graduate of Barça’s La Masia youth setup, Pena has risen through the ranks and become a part of the first-team setup, although he is currently only the backup goalkeeper to Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Pena made his first-team debut for the Blaugrana earlier this season, starting in the dead rubber against Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Champions League, which remains his solitary senior appearance so far.

The 23-year-old Spaniard’s current contract with the club stands to expire at the end of the ongoing season.

It had led to links with a move away, with clubs like Real Betis and Galatasaray, where he had spent the second half of the last season on loan, showing an interest in signing him up as a free agent at the end of the season. Some Premier League clubs were also said to be sniffing around.

However, talks over a renewal with Barcelona had been ongoing for a while now and it seems like a breakthrough has finally been achieved.

Pena, even though he is aware that he will not get regular minutes at Barça due to ter Stegen’s presence, is keen on continuing with the club. And if there are no late setbacks, all signs point towards the 23-year-old putting pen to paper on a new contract.

The new deal should keep the Spanish goalkeeper at Spotify Camp Nou until 2025/26 and could be finalised before Christmas later this month.

While Pena will be committing his future to Barcelona, he is also aware that he needs minutes to continue his development. So, there could be a possibility of him going out on loan in the future.

But, for now, the La Masia ace will renew with the Blaugrana and continue playing second-fiddle to ter Stegen.