Barcelona have prioritised one thing above all else in their transfer policy in recent years, and that is ensuring that they tie up their best young talents from the academy, or those that arrived as teenagers. The likes of Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, Gavi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal have all committed to new deals since making their first-team debuts, and three more are on the way.
As reported on Tuesday, talks with Pau Cubarsi have been opened over a new deal for the 17-year-old. His entrance into the first team has caught the eye of clubs from around Europe, with his current release clause just €10m. That deal runs until 2026, but Sport say that they want to increase his release clause, although talks are expected to take some time due to the interest in him and the talent he has already shown early in his career.
🚨 Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Fort and Marc Guiu have already received a renewal proposal from Barca. @tjuanmarti
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 5, 2024
Meanwhile full-back Hector Fort and forward Marc Guiu, both of whom made their debuts earlier this season too, have also had talks opened over a new deal for them. Regarding Fort, Barcelona’s projections for him will play an important part in the role, and he could be in the first-team as early as the summer on an official basis.
A new deal for Guiu is thought to be closer. The 18-year-old forward has made an impact during his cameos with the first team, scoring twice, but he is yet to start a match under Xavi Hernandez. The distance between club and player is thought to be much less than with Fort and Cubarsi.
With the Blaugrana struggling financially, producing prospects for the senior side has never been so important. Once they are there, having them tied down either to become a part of the squad, or eventually to be sold on, is equally as essential. They are yet to lose any of their prospects due to a breakdown in talks, but as finances bite harder and harder, they still cannot afford to take too many shortcuts.
