FC Barcelona faced a blow in the transfer market as one of their closest linked players in the last few weeks, Lucas Bergvall, decided to join the Premier League side Tottenham Hotspurs for the next season.
Everything indicated that the player was closing on a move to the Catalan club in the last week, but several reasons combined that caused him to opt for the London-based club instead of Barcelona.
However, there has also been a piece of good news from the club, as one of the reserve keepers, Diego Kochen, has agreed to renew his contract with Barcelona, according to a report from SPORT.
The 17-year-old’s current Barcelona contract is set to expire on June 30, 2025. Anticipating a potential change of mind after he turns 18 on March 19, the club decided to agree to a contract extension early.
The new contract will keep the goalkeeper associated with Barcelona till 2028 but the renewal will take place only once he turns 18 years old.
Kochen has been a frequent part of the first-team squad for the last few months, particularly since Marc Andre Ter Stegen has been sidelined due to a back issue and the ensuing surgery. He joined the Catalan Club in 2019, and has been growing at a steady pace since then.
Officials at Barcelona are very happy with his growth and performances, and have placed a lot of hopes that the goalkeeper will turn out to be a good bet for them. They believe he has the talent to get into the first team in the medium term. However, for now, he will be officially added to the Barcelona Atletic squad for the rest of the season.
Kochen made his debut for the Barcelona first-team in the Dallas friendly, and became the youngest goalkeeper to represent Barcelona. Now, with his renewal already sorted, Kochen will be looking to meet even more milestones with the Catalan club going forward, and hopefully becoming a starting keeper in the first division in the future.
