Barcelona make SHOCK contract decision after Flick statement

Tom Weber

Updated: 8 Feb 2025 16:17 GMT
3 min read

Barcelona are considering extending Wojciech Szczesny's contract beyond this season, according to Spanish media.

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It has been a whirlwind season for the Polish goalkeeper in what really shouldn't have been any season at all. Szczesny had initially retired from football after being cut loose by Juventus in the summer but he swiftly returned to the game.

In September, Barcelona's No.1 goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury, leaving the Catalans with Inaki Pena as their only senior shot-stopper.

They approached Szczesny and he quickly agreed to come out of retirement. However, he initially failed to supplant Pena and it seemed as though he was really only there to make up the numbers.

That all changed recently, though, and head coach Hansi Flick has even announced that Szczesny is now officially his first-choice option. In fact, it seems that the 34-year-old could even remain at the club longer than initially anticipated.

Barcelona to hand Szczesny a new deal?

Szczesny's current contract only runs until the end of the season as he was viewed as merely a short-term replacement for Ter Stegen, who is expected to be back fit for the new campaign.

However, journalist Toni Juanmarti reports Barcelona are considering handing Szczesny fresh terms to keep him beyond the season. These recent developments are quite surprising considering his kamikaze performance against Benfica in the Champions League when fans were calling for his contract to be ripped up rather than extended.

Szczesny is said to be open to extending his deal, although Juanmarti acknowledges that the current stance from both parties is not final. Barcelona will analyse his performances in the coming weeks and then make a definitive decision.

Meanwhile, Pena is said to be frustrated about losing his place and allegedly had a 'tense discussion' with Flick in which the latter put him in his place and told him to 'accept the new reality.'