Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Pedri has broken through at Barcelona and with the Spain team.
Pedri has broken through at Barcelona and with the Spain team. Photograph: Joma Garcia/Action Plus/Shutterstock
Pedri has broken through at Barcelona and with the Spain team. Photograph: Joma Garcia/Action Plus/Shutterstock

Pedri agrees new long-term Barcelona deal with €1bn release clause

This article is more than 2 years old
  • Spain international, 18, has been rare bright moment for Barça
  • New contract will keep teenager at Nou Camp until 2026

Barcelona’s teenage midfielder Pedri has agreed a long-term contract extension with the Catalan club, which includes a €1bn (£846m) release clause.

The 18-year-old Spain international, who was named in the Euro 2020 team of the tournament, has agreed a deal that will keep him at the Camp Nou until 2026. His new contract will be officially signed on Friday, the club said.

Pedri joined Barcelona from Las Palmas in August 2020 and quickly established himself as a starter in midfield. He played 53 times last season in a hectic campaign – the most appearances of anyone at the club.

His new deal is a rare piece of good news as Barcelona continue to struggle on and off the pitch. They sit ninth in La Liga and have lost their opening two Champions League games. Lionel Messi was forced to leave the club during the summer as they were unable to afford his new contract, while experienced players such as Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba agreed to salary reductions to allow Ronald Koeman’s side to register their new signings.

Their president, Joan Laporta, laid bare their financial problems in August, saying: “Barcelona has a negative net worth of €451m – it is a terrible inheritance. What has been happening is very worrying. The situation is dramatic, but we have good news. The strategic plan based on our credibility and experience, on the assets that Barça have, makes this situation temporary. I think that in a couple of years, the club’s economy will be healthy.”

Most viewed

Most viewed