Barcelona president issues key update on the contract situation of three youngsters

Speaking in an interview with RAC1 (h/t MARCA), Barcelona president Joan Laporta has provided an update on the contract situation of three key youngsters in Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Alejandro Balde.

Barça won the Spanish Super Cup last night – their first trophy under Xavi Hernandez, with Gavi winning the Man of the Match award while the likes of Araujo and Balde also essayed key roles.

The trio is seen as the present and the future of this Barcelona setup along with the likes of Pedri, Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong.

So, it did not come as a surprise to see Barça move quickly to negotiate new long-term contract renewals with Araujo and Gavi. Both players penned new deals until the summer of 2026 last year.

However, due to the club’s Financial Fair Play issues, neither of the renewals have been registered with La Liga, which has meant that Gavi is still on the list as a subsidiary player, leading to him not being handed the No. 6 shirt.

Meanwhile, Balde’s contract with the Catalans expires at the end of the next season, meaning he will be in the final year of his contract come summer. So, the club intend to tie him down to a new deal as well.

Talks have been ongoing, but with no margin on the wage bill, his contract extension also cannot be processed at the moment. And Laporta has stated that the club expect to register Gavi and Araujo’s contracts and renew Balde at the end of the season.

“It is expected that, at the end of the season, we will register Araujo and Gavi and renew Balde,” said Laporta.

Talking about Gavi’s situation, in particular, the Barcelona president said: “He turned 18 in the autumn and we took advantage of the possibility that the regulations gave us to allow him to continue with this status (as a reserve team player). When this season is over, we will have to register him, because he is a first-team player.”

As for Balde’s contract, the club supremo added: “Balde’s renewal looks good.”

However, Laporta lamented the fact that Financial Fair Play problems are not flexible enough in La Liga and shed light on the actions that the club are taking to tackle the issue.

“One of these actions is to have the ‘fair play’ that UEFA marks for clubs playing in its competitions, and which is more favourable. And we also have an appeal filed (in a commercial court), so that we are put on an equal footing with the rest of the LaLiga clubs,” he explained.

Talking about yesterday’s Spanish Super Cup triumph, Laporta said: “We have a team still under construction and with very young players. Be patient, because more titles will come.”