Barça starts to put renewals on track

BarcelonaBarça Women mean business this season. After an intense summer in which they pushed until the month of June to secure the continuity of some important pieces, the Catalan club has the renewal of Esmee Brugts on track and is advancing on that of Ewa Pajor. The desire of both players to continue wearing the blue and garnet has been a fundamental part in allowing the negotiations to take place months in advance.

The Catalan entity arrived last May with seven pending matters to resolve. Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Ona Batlle, and Salma Paralluelo ended up packing their bags, while Marta Torrejón, Graham Hansen, and coach Pere Romeu extended their ties with the club. All renewals were made official once the protagonists had already finished their contracts. Torrejón announced she was continuing for another year on July 24th, Hansen did so on July 15th until 2028, and Romeu communicated on June 17th that he would continue for two more years at Barça. However, it is also true that the files of Claudia Pina (2029), Cata Coll (2029), Clara Serrajordi (2028), and Aïcha Camara (2028) –Pina and Cata ended their contracts last June, while Serrajordi and Aïcha were set to do so this 2027– were closed in the middle of the previous season.

Despite this, the Blaugrana club wants to avoid reaching the end of the season again waiting to see who stays and who doesn't, and in this sense, it has set to work to renew two vital players in Pere Romeu's scheme. Esmee Brugts, who has taken hold of the starting position on the left wing and is a very important figure within the Catalan team, has never hidden her desire to stay at Barça. Furthermore, as ARA has learned, her renewal is on track and will be announced soon, although the club stresses that it is not yet closed.

Brugts arrived at Barça in August 2023 from PSV Eindhoven. The fullback –although she played more as a winger back then– signed for four seasons, until June 2027, with the label of a young Dutch prospect. From the beginning, she has been an important piece, both for Jonatan Giráldez and for Pere Romeu, who permanently converted her to left-back with the departure of Fridolina Rolfö.

As for Ewa Pajor, the forward is very happy to be in Barcelona, as she has expressed on more than one occasion, and her intention is to continue, as ARA has been able to learn. The Polish footballer already made it clear in the press conference prior to the blue and reds' debut in the Champions League against Paris FC. "I want to play more years at Barça because it is a club where I can improve every day with the team and the coaching staff," she assured when asked about her future, given that her contract also ends next June.

Other folders, pending resolution

One of the names that worries the fans the most is that of Patri Guijarro, who with her latest statements has left her future up in the air. "The English league is attractive. Regarding my renewal, right now I am not focused on that, but rather on the team and the start of the season. Obviously, at the moment we can talk about my renewal, we will talk about it without problems," said Guijarro a month ago on the program Tot Costa.

Words that took on even more dimension after what she said on the Café de Finca podcast. "In the future, at some point, I want to experience playing outside of Spain. Talking to other friends who have lived it, I see that these are experiences that are worth it," she asserted in light of speculation about her future, which is by no means decided.

The matter, however, does not end here. Besides these three players, Irene Paredes, Sydney Schertenleib, Marta Torrejón, and Gemma Font also see their contracts expire in 2027. In the case of the Basque center-back, on Monday she assured that she is calm about her personal situation. "There is time left. I am happy and glad to continue at Barça and to contribute to the team." Paredes is another one of the players who has always shown her desire to remain linked to the Catalan entity.