Carles Alena has put pen to paper on a new three-year contract with Barcelona, the club has announced.
Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that Carles Alena has penned a new contract that will keep him at the club till June 2020. The deal contains a buyout clause worth €75 million and can be extended by a further two years if the Spaniard gets promoted to the senior side on a full-time basis.
Carles Alena is yet another promising young talent to have emanated from the fabled La Masia academy at Barcelona. Having joined the club as a seven-year-old, the player made rapid strides within the youth setup before breaking into the senior side last season.
In all, Alena made 29 appearances for Barcelona B, in addition to four outings for the first team, bagging four goals and eight assists. The teenager has also represented Spain at various age levels, and is currently the captain of the under-19 side.
? @Carlesale10
A life at Barça?? #ForçaBarça #BeBarça pic.twitter.com/TJhEvHmx2y
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 6, 2017
However, his future was a subject of intense speculation throughout the summer transfer window. With just one year left on his deal with Barcelona, reports suggested that Alena could be on his way out of Camp Nou in search of regular first-team football, with the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle United and even Real Madrid being linked with a move.
Finally though, the uncertainty surrounding his future at the Catalan club has now been put to rest, with the 19-year-old signing a new three-year contract. The deal will be further extended by another two years should Alena be promoted to Ernesto Valverde’s first-team squad on a full-time basis.
The news, though, will come as a huge positive for Barcelona supporters who have seen several exciting young prospects depart from the club, including the likes of Eric Garcia and Jordi Mboula. Perhaps, the player can be just the playmaking solution that the Blaugrana have been desperately searching for.
Alena has often been compared to Xavi and Iniesta within the youth setup at Barcelona for his vision and ability to pick a pass. With Valverde failing in his pursuit of Philippe Coutinho and Marco Verratti for the aforementioned role, the teenage prodigy could just be the long-term solution he has been looking for.
However, only time will tell if Alena makes his progression to the first-team setup. For now though, he remains a key player for Barcelona B, and will be hoping for a fruitful campaign in La Liga B with Gerard Lopez’s side this season.
