Barcelona keen on keeping defender but remain unsure on future
03/19/2025 03:59 PM
Barcelona have made a point of offering new long-term contracts to some of their key players, but as Director of Football Deco plans ahead for the squad next season, there are some areas of uncertainty.
It looks as if Barcelona will look to sell the likes of Inaki Pena, Andreas Christensen, and with no contract extension on the horizon, Sport say Pablo Torre too, despite some promising performances this season. All three are out of contract at the end of 2026, and Deco seemingly does not want any players entering the final year of their deal, with the exceptions of Inigo Martinez, Robert Lewandowski and potentially Wojciech Szczesny.
One player who is out of contract in 2026, and does not have a defined future is Eric Garcia. The Catalan paper explain that the club are edging towards offering the 24-year-old defender a new deal. After Hansi Flikc persuaded him to stay in January, he has shown just how useful he can be both in defence and as an alternative in central midfield. However the Catalan side remain unclear on his intentions, with no certainty on his role next season.
Luis de la Fuente has ruled out Ferran Torres for tomorrow due to a knock and says he would be available for the return leg on Sunday in Valencia. @Alfremartinezz
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 19, 2025
Real Sociedad and Girona were two of the sides interested in taking Garcia on loan in January, while Serie A side Como also made a bid for Garcia. It also appears to be the case that Barcelona will sign another central defender, with Jonathan Tah heavily linked with a move to the Catalan giants.
If that was the case, then Barcelona would have Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Tah and Ronald Araujo on their books. Were that to be the case, Garcia would be the fifth option in central defence, and potentially the fourth in midfield, after Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal, who is recovering from injury. In that scenario, a move would appear a more logical step.
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