Barcelona president confirms renewal plans for several key stars, hints at big signing

Speaking in an interview on Barça One, which ran close to two hours, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirmed that the club is proceeding with contract renewals for several key players.

The Blaugrana have a number of important players like Gavi, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Lamine Yamal whose contracts expire in 2026.

Recent reports had suggested that the Catalans have already begun working on the renewals and going a step further, Laporta has confirmed that things are progressing very well, especially with Pedri, Araujo, and de Jong.

“Barça is a fair club, always has been. We have the renewal of Araujo, De Jong and Pedri. Gavi will get it soon,” said the Barcelona president.

The manager also spoke about the contracts of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, saying:

“Lewandowski if he plays 50% of the games will renew (he is under contract) and Raphinha finishes in 2027. We’ll be fair to everyone.”

Laporta also seemed to confirm the existence of a pact for Lamine Yamal’s long-term contract extension once he turns 18, as he said:

“Lamine? He has a long-term contract and it’s Deco who makes the decisions, but he has instructions from the board in this regard.”

During the chat, Laporta also dropped a hint that Barcelona could be working on a blockbuster signing in the near future amid talks of interest in Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

“For Barça, everything is possible. That’s why it’s important for the club to be strong. The players want to come because of the style, the city, the climate… That’s why I ask for institutional stability,” he said.

Continuing, Laporta added: “What we won’t do is sign for the sake of signing because we have a lot of talent at home. We will only sign for sporting reasons, for reasons of making a show, never.

“Barça are ready to sign whoever wants to come. If they have an offer from Barça, they always show interest.”