Barcelona’s left-back Marcos Alonso has extended his stay with the club after renewing his contract until June 2024. The Spanish defender joined the club in the summer transfer window of 2022 and quickly established himself as an important player for the team.
Alonso has been a new addition to Barcelona’s defense this season, indicating Barcelona’s will to move on from veteran Jordi Alba. He has also shown his versatility by being able to play in multiple positions along the left side of the field.
When asked about Alonso, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez had nothing but positive things to say about the defender.
Xavi said: ”We are very happy with Marcos. He has adapted, he is reliable and proven. He has the maturity to play in many positions. He’s a signing of a high level and a very important player for the team.”
Xavi’s words highlight his trust in the player and the value he brings to the team. Barcelona also released a statement confirming the contract renewal and its details.
FC Barcelona’s statement read: ”FC Barcelona and Marcos Alonso have reached an agreement for the player to extend his contract until 30 June 2024. The buyout clause has been set at 50 million euros.”
The signing of the contract will take place soon.
The extension of Alonso’s contract clearly indicates the club’s faith in the defender’s abilities and the role he will continue to play in the team’s future success. With his experience and versatility, Alonso will be an asset to the team as they look to compete for silverware in the coming seasons.
However, the decision to renew Alonso’s contract has been met with mixed reactions among the Barcelona fanbase. While some fans are happy to see the defender stay at the club, others believe that the team needs to bring in fresh talent and that renewing Alonso’s contract is not the best move for the team’s future.
Further questions are being asked about this kind of renewal due to the latest news that La Liga is asking Barcelona to once again reduce their wage bill by €150M-€200M. This does elicit some confusion based on the exits of Memphis Depay and Gerard Pique. If Sergio Busquets either leaves or renews at a much smaller number, this in theory would also help. Unfortunately, the contract renewals of Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Alejandro Balde, along with Alonso, will count against the club in the summer. Which does make Alonso’s renewal make a little more sense – Barcelona may not be able to bring any other new players and renewing who Xavi already has may be the only option.
By Kanak Chauhan
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