Barcelona make first contacts over contract renewal for 24-year-old defender

Barcelona make first contacts over contract renewal for 24-year-old defender FC Barcelona have begun laying the groundwork for a new contract for Gerard Martin, with the club and the player’s representatives already making initial contact. Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano (h/t Mundo Deportivo ), the first exchanges between the club and Martín’s representatives have now taken place. Renewal talks initiate This is seen as the first step as Barcelona are preparing to open negotiations over Martin’s renewal , following the club’s growing satisfaction with the defender’s development and performances. The 24-year-old is currently under contract until 2028 and has a €100 million release clause. The La Liga champions’ intention is to extend his deal for additional years while improving both his salary and his buyout clause. Gerard Martin has Flick’s full trust. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) No rush, but Barça want to secure his future As per the report, both sides are relaxed about the entire situation and there is no sense of urgency because the player is happy at Barcelona and the club are equally pleased with him. Barcelona are understood to be confident that negotiations will be straightforward. Internally, the Catalan club do not expect Martin to create any difficulties when the time comes to discuss the details of his new contract. The atmosphere is therefore described as completely calm, but a formal conversation is expected. The Spaniard signed for Barcelona from UD Cornella in 2023 and spent the first year with the reserve team, Barça Atletic. Since getting promoted to the senior setup in Hansi Flick’s first season at the club, he has made 97 appearances, scoring one and assisting seven goals. Renewal talks set to begin. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images) Even though he is a natural left-back, the 24-year-old has transitioned successfully into a centre-back since last season, forging a solid partnership with Pau Cubarsi, although there have been some occasional errors. Nevertheless, Barcelona are more than satisfied with Martin’s development, performances and progress under Flick, and believe he has an important future at the club. For that reason, the renewal is now becoming a matter of when rather than if, with initial contacts already taking place between the club and his representatives. Apart from Martin, Barça are also working to renew the contracts of Xavi Espart and Brian Farinas after their recent first-team breakthroughs.