After Barcelona confirmed a new contract until 2031 on Thursday evening for Ronald Araujo, left back Gerard Martin de Pen also put on paper. The 22-year-old has connected his future to the club for the next 2.5 years.
Martin only came to the club from Cornella from Barcelona in the third division as a recruit for Barca Atletic eighteen months ago. But last season he acquired the position as a left back under Rafael Marquez, and after he did that, he earned a place on the plane for the pre -season tour of Barcelona with Hansi Flick this summer.
Martin impresses the German coach and this season has become part of the selection of the first team at Barcelona, as an alternative to Alejandro Bald in the defense. Martin was seen on Thursday at the club office while signing his contract, and his new contract runs until 2028. There is also a release clause of one hundred million euros.
This season Martin played 18 times, gave one assist and started 8 games for Flick. For the most part, he was solid in the back and put down changing performance, even though he had difficulty offering the same quality to the ball or to get ahead as his competition.
Although he has given Martin a new contract, there is still doubt about his future after the end of the season. Left back is said to be one of the areas that Barcelona wants to strengthen in the coming transfer period of the summer, and apart from the sale of Baldde, Martin would probably look inside on the outside.
Nevertheless, sporting director Deco would like to bind him to a new contract, giving them much more power in the negotiations if they want to sell Martin in the summer. The positions of the wing defenders are mentioned as an area where depth is missing in the Catalan capital, while Martin and Hector Fort are both inexperienced behind Balde and Jules Kounde on the other side. Barcelona's financial situation will undoubtedly play a role in their activities this summer.
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