Barcelona's Contract Renewals: Flick's Young Talents Get Rewarded
The summer market is closed, but Barcelona are still busy. The signings are done; now it’s time to pay the players who have earned their stripes under Hansi Flick.
After a window in which the club brought in Rodri, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus, Joao Cancelo and the highly rated Jesse Bisheo, the focus inside the sporting department has shifted. The chequebook is now open for the youngsters who have forced their way into Flick’s plans and stayed there.
All of them are young. All of them have grown in status. And one name sits slightly above the rest.
Hamza Abdelkarim leads the way
Hamza Abdelkarim, just 18, has become the reference point for this internal renewal drive.
The striker impressed in pre-season as a pure No 9, showing enough personality and penalty-box instinct to convince the club he is worth a long-term bet. Barcelona have already moved: his salary goes up, his release clause rises, and his contract now runs until 2030.
It’s a clear message. Perform, and you get rewarded.
Bernal ready for the next step
Behind Abdelkarim, four more youngsters are lining up for improved terms. Two of them already feel like established pieces in Flick’s rotation: Marc Bernal, 19, and Gerard Martin, 24.
Bernal is tied down until 2029, but that deal is being revisited. The club backed him during a difficult spell, improving his contract after a knee injury and setting his release clause at 500 million euros, with a verbal understanding that they would sit back down if he delivered once fit.
He has delivered.
Since returning from injury, Bernal has justified every ounce of that faith, and the time has come to formalise it. Deco has already made contact with his agent, Raul Verdu, to move the new agreement forward.
Martin to be locked in longer
Gerard Martin is another of Flick’s trusted pieces. The coach leans on him, and the club want that relationship to last.
Martin is currently under contract until 2028, with a 100 million euro release clause. Barcelona’s plan is simple: extend the deal, increase the salary, and push that clause higher to protect a player they believe will only gain value.
Martin knows exactly where the club stand. The intention to keep him for more years has been clearly communicated.
Espart, Flick’s big gamble, set for a rise
On the same renewal list sits Xavi Espart, 19 – the boldest bet Flick has made this season.
Espart arrived in 2025 on terms befitting a reserve-team player and a contract until 2028. That status no longer fits. He now wears a first-team number and has stepped into the senior picture, which means his pay packet needs to follow.
His agent is the same as Ferran Torres’s, but Barcelona do not foresee a complicated negotiation. The club expect to close his renewal without drama.
Farinas stays, and now must be paid like it
The final name in this wave of renewals is Bryan Farinas, 20.
He was on the verge of leaving in the summer, close to a move to Girona, before Frenkie de Jong’s injury changed the script. Flick decided to keep him, hand him a first-team number and trust him to help cover the gap.
The only thing that has not changed is his salary, which still reflects a reserve-team role. That will not last much longer. Barcelona plan to adjust his contract to match his new status, with an agreement expected to run until 2031.
The big-money arrivals have already grabbed the headlines. Now, behind closed doors, Barcelona are trying to make sure the backbone of Flick’s project – young, hungry and already delivering – stays exactly where it is.
