Four Barcelona stars whose contracts expire in 2024 - and what the future holds
There has been plenty of change at Barcelona over the last few years, but some around Catalunya will be hoping for a bit more stability after some shaky moments on and off the field.
After hiring and firing two bosses in less than two years in the wake of Ernesto Valverde's 2020 exit, Barca turned to club legend Xavi in November 2021. His first full season in charge brought a first league title in four years, and the Catalan club remain in touching distance this term despite playing home games away from Camp Nou during its redevelopment.
With 13 games played this season, Barcelona have lost just once - the same number as at this stage last term. However, their 30-point tally leaves them down in third, two points behind Real Madrid and four adrift of unlikely league leaders Girona.
There have been plenty of ins and outs on the playing side, too, with long-serving duo Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets among those to leave over the summer. There are four stars facing uncertain futures going into 2024, too, and Mirror Football has taken a closer look at what the future might hold for the quartet.
Joao Cancelo
Portugal right-back Cancelo had long been on Barcelona's radar before he completed a loan move from Manchester City towards the end of the summer transfer window. It was a first return to La Liga for the defender since he left Valencia in 2018, and he has already begun to make an impression in his new surroundings.
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He made a near instant impact, scoring twice in his first two starts. That included a Goal of the Month winning effort against Real Betis as Barcelona recorded a statement-making 5-0 win over Manuel Pellegrini's men.
Speaking to Sport in September, he indicated he didn't want his stay to only last one season. Former Man City team-mates Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Tores have already joined Barcelona, helping Cancelo settle, and he could well have more to offer.
"Whether it's at Montjuïc or wherever, I always want to play in the Barça shirt and show the fans and the people who believed in me how difficult it was to come to Barça," he said. "I want to achieve great things with this club because it's where I've always dreamed of being. It's my dream club, all my friends know that. All my idols played at Barça."
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Joao Cancelo has already impressed after joining on loan (Gerard Franco/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
While Cancelo has yet to add to those twow early goals, he remains a key part of Xavi's strongest side. Money could yet stand in the way of a permanent move - the 29-year-old is under contract with City until 2027 so they may not be in a rush to sell on the cheap - but he's been giving Barca what they need.
Joao Felix
After that aforementioned victory over Betis, Xavi spoke highly of both of his Portuguese loanees. Joao Felix arrived in slightly different circumstance compared to his compatriot, joining on a season-long deal from Atletico Madrid after a temporary move to Chelsea didn't prompt the English club to bring him over permanently.
“Both Joaos are really happy here and you can see that,” Xavi said, as translated by Barca Blaugranes. “No one doubts their individual quality. You see them train and you see how good they are.
Joao Felix has put a difficult spell at Chelsea behind him (Bagu Blanco/Pressinphoto/REX/Shutterstock)“Cancelo joins us after working with, for me, the best coach in the world [Pep Guardiola] and he interprets the game so well. He understands what we want.
“We worked on the positioning of the full-backs this week. We wanted to look for Cancelo in the middle and for [Alex] Balde to stretch the pitch. We looked for that superiority in midfield. If we are more positional, we will attack better.
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“Both Cancelo and Félix offer options that help improve the team. Physically, they are strong. They increase the quality in the squad. They are where they want to be.”
The goal against Betis was Joao Felix's first for Barcelona, and he followed it up with a double against Royal Antwerp in the Champions League. Barcelona's fans also appear to have taken to him, and there's every chance he remains there beyond this season.
Marcos Alonso
Spain international left-back Alonso joined Barca on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2022, signing an initial one-year deal which was subsequently extended until the end of the 2023-24 season. However, with young defender Balde making the position his own, Alonso has found minutes harder to come by.
Marcos Alonso has been used sparingly this season (Getty Images)The 32-year-old has completed a full 90 minutes just once this season, in a 4-3 victory over Villarreal. Nearly half of his minutes this season have come in Europe, including starts in both games against Shakhtar, but he has played just 11 La Liga minutes across Barca's last seven games.
There was interest in the former Bolton man over the summer, with Manchester United among those linked. However, Erik ten Hag opted to bring in Sergio Reguilon rather than his compatriot.
In late September, Sport reported that Alonso's experience is valued by Xavi even if he has been used sparingly on the pitch. Only Valencia have named younger starting XIs than the one used by Xavi against Granada in October, even with the addition of experienced midfielder Gundogan.
The question for Alonso is whether he wants more minutes at this stage of his career. If so, he might chance his arm elsewhere - especially if a contract longer than a year presents itself - though Barca hold an option to keep him around until 2025.
Sergi Roberto
Sergi Roberto has taken over the Barcelona captaincy (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Long-serving academy graduate Sergi Roberto is another where the club hold a one-year option. The utility man will forever have his place in Barcelona folklore after completing the famous remontada against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, and his experience and knowledge of the club saw him wear the captain's armband twice this season.
The 31-year-old has played more than 350 first-team games since making his debut for the club in 2010. The last two-and-a-bit seasons have brought just 51 outings, though, thanks to injury and a plethora of other options, and while he took over as skipper after Busquets' move to the United States, it's largely been a non-playing responsibility.
Cancelo has been preferred at right-back since his arrival, while another summer signing - Oriol Romeu - has occupied a central midfield role which might have been Sergi Roberto's in the past. As he enters the final few months of his current deal, Sergi Roberto had played less than 200 league minutes this season before picking up an injury in October.
Back in August, Xavi singled out his captain for difficult moments in the win at Villarreal, and he's started just once since. And yet, the manager has repeatedly praised his former team-mate and is said to want him to remain at the club for a while longer.
"For me, he is a guarantee," Xavi told Marca (via AllFootball ) in October. "I had it clear that he is very important for us. He is the perfect joker.
“For me he is a guarantee that gives me a lot of confidence. I think that he is a player that us managers value a lot. He’s quiet, works, suffers and always makes the grade.”
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