In a rather surprising turn of events, it appears Arnau Tenas might end up staying in Barcelona beyond this summer.
The goalkeeper himself had recently confirmed Barcelona will not carry out any contract renewal for him this summer, suggesting he will become a free agent after Friday.
But according to Mundo Deportivo, there has now been a complete turnaround from Barcelona’s end. The club are currently seeking to extend the contract of the young goalkeeper, which will see him stay at Camp Nou until 2025.
The report suggests Barcelona are yet to activate the renewal option but intend to do so. Their idea is to keep hold of Tenas, as he has shown excellent development during his time in the youth system and has what it takes to shine at the top level.
With that in mind, Barça will look to loan out Tenas this summer in order to help him receive regular minutes at the top level next season. The loan should also help Barcelona alleviate some of the salary burden off the Catalan outfit, at least for the next year.
Tenas, for his part, might not object to continuing at Camp Nou even though both Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Inaki Pena are currently ahead of him in the pecking order. He would hope the upcoming loan spell elsewhere could give him the opportunity to shine.
Tenas’ contract extension will also send out a strong message to the youth department, indicating that Barcelona are ready to reward youth players who have the potential to shine at the top level.
After all, the club will rely a great deal on La Masia to continue producing talents such as Alejandro Balde and Gavi, who have gone on to become crucial first-team components for Xavi this past season.
