Barcelona move to secure long-term future of Flek’s rising team

Barcelona are working to keep the core of Hansi Flick’s squad together, with sporting director Deco closing in on a series of long-term contract extensions.

The club have already secured the futures of nine players over the past year, including Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia. Further agreements are now expected as Barcelona compete for silverware under Flick while building a team designed to remain together for several seasons.

Raphinha is among the most significant cases completed by Deco. The Brazil forward officially extended his contract until June 2028 in May 2025, but his outstanding start to the season has prompted Barcelona to act again.

At the club’s general assembly for members last September, Deco said Raphinha would sign a further two-year extension. That would keep him at Barcelona until June 2030, with the agreement expected to be formally announced in the coming weeks.

Raphinha has made a major impact in front of goal, leading the La Liga scoring charts with 12 goals. He has also scored 14 times in his first eight matches across all competitions.

Barcelona are also preparing to announce new contracts for Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart, with both agreements expected to run until June 2030.

Bernal is regarded within the club as one of its leading emerging talents. Espart, meanwhile, has attracted attention this season after becoming one of the team’s unexpected breakthroughs and moving ahead of other options in the full-back position in Flick’s plans.

The club also settled the future of Egyptian forward Hamza Abd El Karim before the international break, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona acted after Bayern Munich showed interest in signing the player and were prepared to make use of his previous 15m euro release clause. His new agreement is set to keep him at the club until June 2030, while the clause has been increased to 150m euros.

That change underlines Barcelona’s belief that Hamza Abd El Karim is part of their long-term plans. The forward had impressed during pre-season under Flick, helping him emerge as a player of interest to the first-team set-up.

In January 2026, Barcelona extended Fermin Lopez’s contract until 30 June 2031. The midfielder is now one of the players expected to form part of the club’s future, alongside Lamine Yamal, Eric Garcia and several other young squad members tied down on long-term deals.

Deco is also close to resolving the situations involving Gerard Martin and Brian Farinas. The only notable exception is Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, whose contract expires next June after he signed a one-season extension last summer.

Barcelona’s signing of Dominik Livakovic on a deal running until June 2030 has nevertheless provided a reliable alternative in goal and strengthened the club’s plan for stability.

Deco’s work is therefore focused not only on the current campaign, but on protecting Barcelona’s key players and prospects while giving Flick’s project the opportunity to develop without the continued threat of losing its leading figures.