FC Barcelona wonderkid Gavi is reportedly set to sign a new contract with the La Liga giants this week with a release clause worth €1bn (£868m), ending Liverpool’s reported interest in the midfielder.
According to Sport, the 18-year-old will officially pen a fresh deal with Barcelona this week with an announcement set be made on Thursday, with Gavi set to sign a long-term contract until 2026 with an exit clause of well over £800m, joining the likes Pedri and Ansu Fati in committing their futures to the Catalan giants.
Gavi was reportedly on Liverpool’s radar with the teenager viewed by many as one of world football’s most exciting young players, however, the midfielder is now set to snub the Premier League giants to sign a new contract with Barcelona, the club the youngster has spent his entire career with.
Xavi Hernandez’s reign at Barcelona has got off to a strong start since taking the job last winter, with youth very much at the front of the 42-year-old’s long-term plan to get the club back to the top of European football, with Gavi, Pedri and Fati considered by many as the successors to Andreas Iniesta, the Barca manager and Lionel Messi.
Indeed, the academy trio have all starred for Barcelona this season, and with the likes of Alex Balde and Pablo Torre also set for breakout years under Xavi, the future of the club has never looked as bright as it does now, with Gavi signing a new contract a massive blow for Liverpool.
Whilst the Reds were ambitious to begin with to think they could sign Gavi, missing out on the 18-year-old will be another source of frustration for Liverpool supporters, with the news also meaning that the search for a new midfielder to succeed the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson is back on.
Gavi signing a new Barcelona contract could push Liverpool to new targets
As mentioned, Liverpool were always punching above their weight trying to recruit a Barcelona academy wonderkid in Gavi, and this news of the midfielder’s new contract means that the Anfield side must look for new targets ahead of the summer window in 2023.
With the likes of Jude Bellingham already reportedly on Liverpool’s radar, Gavi’s decision to stay with Barcelona will shorten the Reds’ pool for a new midfielder, and for the Spanish international himself, remaining in La Liga with his boyhood club could be the beginning of something quite special for Xavi’s side.
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