Barcelona veteran set to sign 2-year contract extension agreement: Reports

Wojciech Szczesny is set to put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Barcelona after playing a key role in helping the club win a domestic treble last season, according to ESPN. Szczesny, who came out of retirement to sign for La Blaugrana last October, became a free agent a few days ago after his contract with the Catalan club expired.

The Polish shot-stopper became a necessity for Barca following an injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Initially behind fellow goalkeeper Inaki Pena in the pecking order, Szczesny went on to displace the Spaniard as the season progressed. In what was a remarkable campaign under Hansi Flick’s first season in charge, Szczesny proved himself in goal, keeping 14 clean sheets in 30 appearances across competitions.

Barcelona made their first signing of the summer last month, bringing in Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, whose arrival is believed could lead to the departure of Ter Stegen. Before the 2024-25 season concluded, it was reported that the LaLiga champions would offer Szczesny a contract extension due to his impressive performances between the sticks.

While Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak had the most clean sheets (15) in LaLiga last season, Wojciech Szczesny recorded the highest clean sheet percentage per match among the top 10 goalkeepers with the most shutouts. The Pole kept eight clean sheets in 15 league matches, which is a clean sheet percentage of 53.3%.

Szczesny began his professional career at Arsenal and had loan spells at Brentford and AS Roma. He signed for Juventus in 2017 for a reported fee of €18.4 million, where he won most of his trophies.

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Barcelona boss Hansi Flick ‘disappointed’ with failed Nico Williams transfer – Reports

Barcelona were handed a major setback on Friday, July 4, after their top target, Nico Williams, made a surprising decision to extend his contract with Athletic Bilbao. The club and the player were previously understood to have reached an agreement, with the deal expected to be finalized soon.

According to Catalunya Radio, Hansi Flick was very unhappy following the sudden collapse of Nico Williams's transfer. The German tactician had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 22-year-old winger, believing he would be a key addition to his squad. Barcelona had tried signing the Spaniard last summer, but the player made a similar decision at the time, opting to sign a new contract with Athletic Bilbao.

With the Nico Williams deal now off the table, Barcelona have reportedly turned their attention to Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.