FC Barcelona have moved quickly to tie prodigious midfield talent Pedri to a new contract. The new deal will see the teenager excite fans at the Nou Camp till 2026.
It is not the best of times in Barcelona. Things have become so tough that any little boost is like a silver lining. The club president Joan Laporta works day and night to bring some sunshine in after a cloudy period.
The Catalan club have found it hard to acquire star quality in the market except for free. The financial situation at the club makes it such that huge money signings will take a while at the Nou Camp. Things haved looking up, but it is not yet Uhuru, and the job of getting Barcelona out of the woods is still very much in gear. It is why Laporta has had to look inwards to rebuild and strengthen the team. While Koeman’s future at the club remains in doubt, a certain youngster has been one of the club’s shining lights in recent times.
Pedri commits future to Barcelona
Once upon a time, La Masia churned out talent that had the world gushing in delight. Players like Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and even Lionel Messi walked through La Masia. Barca was a club famed for giving youth a chance, but the advent of Sandro Rosell saw the club tow a different path that kicked la Masia into the doldrums.
Pedri is not a La Masia product, but the investment in youth brought him to Barcelona. At Barca, his talent has shone, and Barcelona has moved quickly to tie him to the club even as the hawks swooped.
On Thursday, Barcelona announced on their website that the midfielder signed a new deal till 2026. To keep admirers at bay, the club inserted a release clause that should scare even the moneybags at Newcastle. Barcelona put the clause at €1 billion ($1.16 billion).
Who is Pedri?
Pedri joined Barcelona from Las Palmas, where at 16, hed his professional career. His move to Barcelona in early 2020 cost the Catalan club €5 million.
In 2020-21, his debut season, Pedri made 52 appearances as he showed that there could be life after Messi. The teenager rose quickly, and with four goals to his name, he was fast-tracked to the Spanish senior team in March.
Pedri won the young player of the tournament at EURO 2020. He was also part of the Spanish team that lost 2-1 to Brazil in the gold-medal match of the Tokyo Olympics.
The 18-year-old was a rising stock, with Bayern Munich already sniffing around the player, but Barcelona quickly tied him to a new contract.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
