Barcelona director planning to address five contract renewals in January – report

Barcelona have several players on their books whose contracts stand to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign.

And, according to SPORT, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany will address the contract renewal situation of five such players – Inaki Pena, Marcos Alonso, Memphis Depay, Hector Bellerin and Sergi Roberto – in January.

The report adds that among these five players whose deals run out on June 30, 2023, only two are guaranteed to have a future at Spotify Camp Nou beyond the current season, with those two being Pena and Alonso.

Pena, who has been promoted to the role of the second-choice goalkeeper this season following Neto’s departure, is seen as the future of the goalkeeping department at the club. And it is claimed that the Catalans foresee no issues as far as his renewal is considered.

As for Alonso, Barça are said to value his versatility and experience and will renew him by two more years, as was agreed with the Spaniard at the time of his signing from Chelsea, when he accepted a significant pay cut to join.

Meanwhile, the other three players – Depay, Bellerin and Roberto – are staring at uncertain futures at Camp Nou.

With Depay’s case, the Dutchman was close to leaving the club in the summer itself, until the deal with Juventus collapsed. He is no longer a prominent member of Xavi’s team and his wage demands could also be an issue for Barça.

Meanwhile, Roberto is unlikely to be given a renewal by the club as they intend to bring in a new starting right-back before the next season kicks off. Given the La Masia ace’s injury history and recent performances, this could be his final season at the club.

As for Bellerin, there were plans to extend his contract based on his performances. But the former Arsenal ace has hardly played since rejoining his boyhood club this past summer. So, his situation remains unclear at this point.

Alemany will focus on these five players and resolving their futures one way or the other, in January. Following that, the Barcelona director will shift his focus to the stars whose contracts run down in 2024, namely Ousmane Dembele and Alejandro Balde.

It must be noted that Sergio Busquets’ contract also expires next year, but the club captain is expected to move on when his deal runs down.

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