Barcelona left-back target agrees new contract with La Liga club until 2028 – report

Any lingering hopes of signing Jose Gaya on a free transfer within the Barcelona camp are set to suffer a blow as journalist Domingo Ortiz is reporting that the left-back has agreed a new long-term contract with Valencia.

Gaya has been on Barcelona’s agenda for a long time now. The Valencia captain has been seen as the ideal heir to Jordi Alba at Spotify Camp Nou. Talks over a possible move were held last summer but nothing came of it.

Gaya is in the final year of his current contract with Valencia and Barcelona director Mateu Alemany continued to harbour hopes of signing the Spanish international on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

However, that ship seems to have sailed now as Gaya has reportedly agreed a long-term contract extension with Valencia. As per the report, the 27-year-old will commit his future to Los Che until the summer of 2028.

It will come as a blow for Barcelona, even though they already have as many as three left-backs on their books currently.

Indeed, Xavi Hernandez can call upon Alba, Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso as options for the left-sided full-back position.

Among the trio, Balde has emerged as the first-choice option for the Barça manager even though the youngster is just 18 years old.

Meanwhile, Alba has struggled for game-time and there are speculations that the club want to move him on next summer itself in order to get his massive wages off the books. In such a scenario, signing Gaya as a replacement would have proven beneficial for the Blaugrana.

However, as things stand, it seems like Barcelona will be unable to sign the Spaniard next summer as he will be staying put at the Mestalla for the long run.