Barcelona's long-term offer rejected by forward's agent, demands shorter contract

Barcelona may have signed up one of their young stars - Pedri - to a new long -term contract without a hitch along with a mega €1 billion release clause, but are struggling to do the same with another young player, who is seen as part of the future of the club.

Ansu Fati is very highly rated by the club and they have no intention of letting him leave anytime soon. The 18-year-old forward, who took over Lionel Messi's number 10 shirt, has under 12 months remaining on his contract, but the club do possess the option of extending it by 2 years.

Barcelona are keen to tie him down to a new long-term deal and have been holding talks with the forward's agent Jorge Mendes. However, the talks are not progressing as smoothly as the club expected with a number issues raised by Fati's agent with regards to the length of the deal and the release clause.

According to Spanish media outlet El Nacional, Mendes has rejected Barcelona's proposal of a new long-term contract, which involves a number of performance related clauses owing to their ongoing financial issues. It is clear that they will not have it easy like they did with Pedri, who penned a deal until 2026 last week.

Fati's agent is keen for the striker to only sign a short two-year deal rather than commit his long-term future to the club. Mendes wants his client to keep his options open going forward, especially if Barcelona are unable to fix their financial issues in the coming seasons.

The Spain international is keen to remain at the Camp Nou for the foreseeable future. However, Mendes wants to ensure that his client does not sign a deal that will not benefit him in the future, especially in terms of reduced wages and unreachable performance bonuses.

Another point of contention is Barcelona's insistence on adding a €1 billion release clause in the contract. Mendes has rejected the proposal as he does not want his client to not have an escape route if Barcelona's project does not suit Fati in the future. He wants a release clause that will be acceptable to the big clubs around Europe, if they consider making a move in the future.