He has been a bright spot this season for FC Barcelona: Pau Cubarsi (17). Now the Catalans have extended the contract with their defensive hopeful ahead of schedule. Including an astronomical exit clause
At the end of November, Pau Cubarsi was still playing for FC Barcelona in the Youth League, which is perfectly normal at his age. In mid-March, however, the young central defender suddenly found himself playing for Barca’s senior team in the Champions League – and virtually cleaned up on his debut in the round of 16 second leg against SSC Napoli (3:1 after 1:1 in the first leg).
Barca wanted to secure the long-term services of such a talent, who also comes from their own famous youth academy La Masia, and have now made a deal. On Thursday afternoon, the dethroned Spanish champions announced the extension of their contract with Cubarsi.
Fortan is theoretically worth 500 million euros to Cubarsi
The 1.84-metre right-footer, whose contract with FCB was previously valid until 2026, has extended his contract early by a further year until 30 June 2027. The signing will be accompanied by a corresponding salary increase, as well as a massive increase in the usual Spanish exit clause. Should another club want to buy Cubarsi out of his contract, he would now have to put 500 million euros on the table. A deterrent clause that is anything but atypical for young hopefuls at FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.
In a Barca season in which coach Xavi, who will not be leaving his post in the summer after all, has already given several young talents plenty of playing time – such as full-back Hector Fort, striker Marc Guiu and winger Lamine Yamal, who has long been a top performer – Cubarsi has so far been the discovery par excellence. Since the end of January, the 17-year-old has been a permanent fixture in the Catalans’ central defense – and it’s hard to imagine the club without him for the time being. It’s certainly impossible to buy him away
