Barcelona set to focus on the contract renewals of five players – report

Barcelona made some important strides during the January transfer window, as far as their contract issues are concerned. The club managed to register Gavi as part of the first team and renewed the contract of Marcos Alonso.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans are now focusing on the remainder of the player contracts, as they look to extend the stay of players such as Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Inaki Pena, Alejandro Balde, and Sergio Busquets.

Roberto, for one, has already received an official offer from the Barcelona board to continue at the club for one more year, with an option to extend for another year. The veteran is yet to issue a response to the offer, despite reports stating that he had rejected the offer.

Barcelona should have an easier time with the contracts of both Alejandro Balde and Inaki Pena. Both their extensions have been taken for granted, even though Balde’s agent Jorge Mendes has not yet given his approval for the documentation he received from the club.

Barcelona consider Balde an important asset to the club and want to add an unaffordable €500 million release clause in his contract. His current deal at Camp Nou expires at the end of next season.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have reportedly called Ousmane Dembele’s agent to their office. They are expected to discuss terms for a new deal.

Dembele renewed with Barça during the summer transfer window. But his contract comes with a €100 million release clause which will drop to €50 million in the months of June and July.

So, in an attempt to safeguard the Frenchman’s future at the club, Barcelona are expected to hold negotiations over a new deal, the limit of which could go beyond 2025.

Busquets, meanwhile, is the only player for whom the club are yet to make any formal offers. They are still preparing the final proposal for the ageing midfielder, whose current contract expires at the end of the season.

Reports suggest Busquets is favouring a move away from Camp Nou, with Major League Soccer emerging as the likely destination. The club, though, are not ready to give up just yet.