Barça reopens the debate over the center-back: two renewals and a goodbye on the horizon

Immersed in the midst of his Japanese tour, Flick continues to test his options, with defense being the area he most wants to strengthen, as the team conceded 66 goals in 56 matches last season. Currently, the coach has an undisputed pair of center-backs: Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez, who have renewed their contracts until 2029 and 2026, respectively. In the Basque player's case, a contract extension is not ruled out if his performance is decisive again this season.

Behind them are Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia, plus Jules Koundé, who has been converted into a right-back. The sporting directors believe Barça should offload at least one center-back. As Deco explained to La Vanguardia , his preferred option was Christensen, but the Dane has no offers and no intention of seeking them, so the plan has changed.

Andreas Christensen

Christensen (29), who arrived on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2022 and whose contract expires in 2026, has a hefty salary of €12 million. The club is clear that it will not renew. In fact, he would have liked to be able to release his salary to ease the wage bill. He is a center-back who is very popular for his technical qualities, but has had a year marked by injuries. Last season, he suffered from tendinopathy in his left Achilles tendon.

The club took advantage of his long-term absence to sign Dani Olmo. He returned on April 30 against Inter Milan, accumulating 259 minutes in six matches. His return brought solidity and experience in the final stretch, and the club describes him as an excellent center back , although physically fragile. Even so, sources close to the player assure that he intends to fulfill the remaining year of his contract, regardless of his role.

Ronald Araújo

Araújo (26) recently renewed his contract until 2031, with a €1 billion buyout clause. However, there was a caveat: during the first 15 days of the 2025 summer transfer window, a reduced €65 million buyout clause was activated. The club believes Araújo has a very different profile to Christensen. He has returned with the aim of completing his first preseason under Flick – last year he didn't return until November – and the feeling is that he won't accept a supporting role and will fight to be a starter. Given that the transfer window coincides with the start of La Liga , sources from both the club and the player's entourage don't rule out the possibility that, if Araújo perceives he is not a priority for Flick and remains behind Cubarsí or Iñigo Martínez, he could request his departure. In that case, Barça would be willing to negotiate. His market value is €35 million.

Eric Garcia

Eric Garcia. A natural centre-back but also capable of playing as a midfielder or right-back, Eric Garcia (24)'s contract expires in June 2026. Flick now sees him as an ideal young option to replace Koundé at right-back, even ahead of Héctor Fort, a youth player who will be given a loan deal to continue growing with playing time. A similar path to the one Eric himself followed last season at Girona , where he regained his best form. In January, he expressed his desire to leave, but it was Flick himself who convinced him to stay. Half a year later, talks to renew are progressing well.

Jules Koundé

No one at the club sees Jules Koundé (26) as a center-back anymore, but rather as a right-back. The rarely rested player has a contract until 2027, although he will extend it to 2030 before the end of the summer. The renewal will include a pay raise, after having established himself as a key player for Flick thanks to his excellent performances on the right wing, both for Barcelona and for the French national team.

Ter Stegen's earrings

Ter Stegen will be operated on for low back pain by Dr. Amélie Léglise at the Sports Clinic Bordeaux Mérignac. Once the operation was over, Barcelona issued a report on the estimated downtime. Precisely, the terms associated with the new recovery have been the trigger that the relationship between the captain, 33 years old, and the club continued to become more tense each time. Barça does not understand that the German public sector includes a three-month layoff period. Consider that this type of information must be communicated by a police officer who intervened. Remember that, if Ter Stegen's prognosis is complex, Barça could not register Joan Garcia under the long-term injury rule, which only applies to injuries of more than 4 months.