Barcelona’s management navigates negotiations with Alexia Putellas for a contract renewal amidst financial considerations.
Barcelona offices are bustling, with the sports management already working on next season and beyond, but one dossier is crucial for progress: that of Alexia Putellas.
According to Maria Tikas of SPORT, the latest contract renewal offer to the captain from Barça came in late December, before she underwent knee surgery, with the economic proposal remaining the same as when negotiations began with Markel Zubizarreta – around €600,000 per season – far from the nearly million she requested, as the club believes they can’t meet that figure to avoid future complications during upcoming renewals. However, they had reduced the contract duration offer to two years instead of three. Alexia asked Barça to put negotiations on hold until she returned to play, to focus entirely on her recovery, and the club agreed. The midfielder was solely focused on getting back on the field at the highest level. Now back – with a goal included – 117 days later and after making history again, both parties will sit down to resume negotiations.
They want to reach an agreement, with both the club and the player willing to continue together, but they’ll need to find common ground. For now, the offer remains on the table. However, the club needs to resolve this issue quickly to move forward with planning for the upcoming seasons. If Alexia accepts, she would become the highest-paid player on the team, and she’s counted on. If she leaves, which is currently not in her plans, it would leave a void in Barça in many aspects: sports, social, institutional, and financial.
This is why Barça can’t commit to new signings for now – ‘Relevo’ suggested that Sakina Karchaoui’s signing is “more than on track,” and there are other names on the list – until Alexia’s future is resolved because the sporting needs and financial constraints would be different. A similar situation, to a lesser extent, applies to Mariona Caldentey, who is still negotiating her continuity. The club’s priority is the renewal of both players, two cases to be resolved before moving forward.
The situation is different in goalkeeping. Sandra Paños has announced she won’t continue at Barça after June 30, and the club has secured her replacement, as reported in January, with Ellie Roebuck from Manchester City. A ‘low-cost’ option, pending the outcome of Gemma Font – also out of contract – while her sister, Txell Font, is recovering from a long-term knee injury. The future of Lucy Bronze also remains to be resolved.
