Barcelona are reportedly set to extend the contract of 20-year-old forward Ez Abde until the summer of 2026.
According to SPORT, Barcelona are ready to hand a two-year contract extension to young winger Ez Abde, prolonging his stay at Camp Nou until the summer of 2026.
Ez Abde joined Barcelona in the summer transfer window last year, arriving from Hercules CF in a deal worth around €2 million. Brought in to strengthen the Barça Atletic team, the young winger got a run in the first-team setup in late 2021 due to injuries to several senior forwards. And he made the most of his chances by putting in some impressive displays, even managing a goal in his ten appearances.
Abde’s game-time took a hit after January when Barcelona signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore. However, the 20-year-old remains highly rated by the Blaugrana camp and has been selected in the squad for the US pre-season tour.
Even though he is unlikely to play a significant part in the upcoming campaign, thanks to the arrival of Raphinha and the re-signing of Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona wish to keep him at the club for a long time and are prepared to hand him a new contract.
Abde’s current deal runs until the summer of 2024. But, Barcelona have the option to trigger an extension by two years, thus ensuring that he is tied down at the club until 2026, with the winger set to be handed improved terms as part of the deal.
Despite the imminent extension, Abde is not guaranteed to stay at Barcelona for the upcoming campaign. There is a good chance that the 20-year-old will leave on loan in search of regular game-time so that his development does not get halted.
Fellow youngster Mika Marmol could follow a similar path if another report from SPORT is to be believed. The 21-year-old has not been included in the US pre-season tour and is set to train with Barça Atletic. However, the Catalans plan to loan him out this summer after handing him an extension given as his current contract expires in 2023.
So, both Abde and Marmol could see their contracts extended by Barcelona imminently, following which a loan exit could be on the cards for the pair.
