According to reports, Barcelona has extended a new contract offer to Pau Cubarsi, marking him as the second teenager at the club to be tied to a €1 billion (£855 million) release clause in a matter of months.
Cubarsi has been training with the first team since April last year, when he was just 16. His debut for the first team came in January, three days before he turned 17, and he has since started eight of the last nine La Liga games.
While Cubarsi’s current contract runs until the summer of 2026, similar to his teammate Lamine Yamal, the club appears eager to secure his future with fresh terms, given the interest from Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich.
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As release clauses are mandatory in Spanish football, Cubarsi’s existing deal features a set fee of under €10 million (£8.55 million), which Barcelona aims to elevate given his rising importance and potential suitors.
The new proposal for Cubarsi, reportedly presented to him, would initially run until he turns 18 next year, with plans to extend it further until 2030. Additionally, the release clause would be immediately set at €1 billion.
Given Cubarsi’s minor status, signing a contract longer than three years is currently not permitted. However, considering his significance to the first team, Barcelona is eager to secure his future as much as legally possible, similar to their approach with Yamal.
Barcelona has learned from past experiences, notably Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for €222 million, despite his release clause at the time. Therefore, the club has since applied €1 billion release clauses to key players like Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and Ansu Fati to deter potential poaching attempts.
Real Madrid had earlier set extreme release clause figures, exemplified by Cristiano Ronaldo’s €1 billion clause in 2009, while Lionel Messi’s release clause at Barcelona was increased to €700 million in 2017 following the Neymar saga.