The financial crisis at Barcelona has forced the club into various difficult positions where they have had to make some unwanted decisions. Even this summer, some departures have taken place primarily for this reason despite conflicting statements. Ultimately, Barcelona are in a position where every single decision must be made carefully.
No player should be kept for longer than they deserve to stay, and no player should be signed if they do not serve a purpose. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties of recruiting new players and bolstering the squad, Barcelona have to rely on the squad and quality that they already possess irrespective of dips in form.
Furthermore, it essentially forces the club to be a bit more strict about letting players go knowing that they most likely would not be able to sign an adequate replacement or alternative. However, that still does not neglect the club’s duty to pay special attention to contracts that are near their expiry date.
As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, there are three Barcelona players who have unclear futures beyond this season. That is because all three of those players have a contract in place that will essentially expire and conclude in June of 2025, which would mark the end of this ongoing campaign.
The three players in question are Robert Lewandowski (aged 36), Inigo Martinez (aged 33), and Gerard Martin (aged 22). In the case of both Lewandowski and Martinez, however, there are some conditions that could be met to enable the activation of an automatic extension of another year.
With Robert Lewandowski, a man in fine form so far, the condition would be that he plays 55% of the games this season with at least 45 minutes or more being counted as a proper game in those conditions. Inigo Martinez, Barça’s current starting centreback alongside Pau Cubarsi, has the same condition but he needs to play 60% of the games.
As for Gerard Martin, there are no such conditions set so far. While there is an expectation that his stay will be extended at Barcelona soon, given that he seems to have Hansi Flick’s backing, it is still a procedure that will require the club’s intervention, and negotiations with his entourage will need to take place.
