Barcelona activate second stage of “renewal plan” involving Lamine Yamal and Raphinha | OneFootball

In recent weeks, Barcelona have been very busy  on the contract renewal front. Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Gavi and Pau Cubarsi having all signed new deals since the start of 2025, with the latter being the latest to do so as he put pen to paper on Thursday.

Barcelona sporting director Deco has been in charge of this process, which has gone very well so far. However, he is not resting on his laurels, and already, work is underway on the second stage of the club’s “renewal plan”, as reported by MD.

These negotiations are expected to take place in the coming months, as there is less urgency on the part of Barcelona as the players in question do not see their current deals expire until 2027 at the earliest, whereas with Araujo, Pedri and Gavi, they were all due to be free agents at the end of next season.

Raphinha is one of the players that Barcelona want to agree a new contract with (Photo by EFE)

The first player on the list established by Deco is Lamine Yamal. The 17-year-old sensation is able to sign an extended contract once he turns 18 in the summer (players 17 of under can only sign deals with a maximum length of three years), and Barcelona want this finalised as soon as possible, so as to prevent any complications.

In recent weeks, Raphinha has been linked with receiving a new contract, and he is another that Deco will enter into negotiations with soon. He and Lamine Yamal are in the upper band of players to be offered new deals, and this is also the case for Jules Kounde, who has been a stellar performance since his move from Sevilla in 2022.

Another player that Deco has plans to renew, albeit with not as much urgency as the aforementioned trio, is Frenkie de Jong. His contract expires in 2026, although Barcelona have been hesitant to offer a new deal because he has underperformed since returning from a long-term ankle injury earlier in the season. However, he will join the likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in the upper band if he impresses in the coming months.