Gavi to receive legendary Barcelona number after new contract

Robin Bairner

14 Sept 2022 13:58 BST
3 min read

Barcelona midfielder Gavi has agreed a new contract and is set to be given a new squad number as a result.

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Barca announced on Wednesday that Gavi will sign a deal with the club that runs until 2026 and will boast a release clause amounting to €1 billion.

This arrived after fears that clubs could pinch him for as little as €50m, which was the release clause in his previous deal. Liverpool and Bayern Munich were among the clubs who were weighing up the possibility of trying to steal Gavi from Barca.

In addition to this new contract, his status at the club will be enhanced as he will receive the legendary No.6 jersey, according to Gerard Romero. However, Gavi will have to be patient for this.

Why can’t Gavi change shirt number now?

Gavi presently wears the No.30 shirt at Barcelona and this will be his jersey until the January transfer window, when he is available to take the No.6, which was vacated by Riqui Puig when he left for LA Galaxy.

Although the jersey is presently vacant, he is unable to change his shirt at the moment. Why? Simply because Barcelona have already registered their squad for the first half of the season with La Liga. When the next registration window opens in January, it can be altered.

The No.6 shirt at Barcelona, of course, holds special reverence thanks largely to head coach Xavi, who wore the jersey from 2001-2015. He is one of the great legends of Barca, orchestrating their midfield through their golden era under Pep Guardiola and beyond.

Gavi now stands in place to inherit the squad number of Xavi, but Barcelona’s brightest young prospect will have to be patient in order to receive it.