iñigo martinez fc barcelona

IÑIGO WILL RENEW UNTIL 2026

RENEWALS: Iñigo Martínez will sign for one more year this week

Published:28/01/2025 - 16:52h

Updated:28/01/2025 - 16:52h

The FC Barcelona board hopes to finalize Iñigo Martínez's renewal this week. The center-back will not have to wait until May to define his future

Calendar of FC Barcelona

Iñigo Martínez will continue to be a player for FC Barcelona for at least one more season. According to 'Jijantes', the Basque player and the Blaugrana board expect to finalize his renewal until June 2026 this week, by activating the clause included in his current contract. If the defender plays at least 60% of the official matches in the 2024-25 season, he will automatically sign for one more year.

The '5', until his injury on January 12 in the 28th minute of the Supercopa de España final, was one of Hansi Flick's 'untouchables', playing a total of 2,316 minutes in 27 of the 26 matches played by Barça up to that point. The Ondarroa native was only a substitute in La Liga against Osasuna and had been replaced only four times, scoring a couple of goals and providing an equal number of assists.

Iñigo Martínez will return in February to fight for a starting position

In this sense, the club wanted to reward his great season by clearing up doubts about his future right away. Iñigo could have rescinded his contract last summer, in July, while waiting for his registration. However, he always believed in his chances of staying and being a key player with Flick's team. The injuries of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen opened the door for him to the starting XI. Afterwards, his leadership and understanding with Pau Cubarsí solidified his place in Flick's lineup.

Initially, Martínez is expected to return in mid-February, once he overcomes his hamstring injury in the right thigh. After his return, however, he will have to fight to regain his spot, as Ronald Araujo has returned to a very good level and, following his contract extension, is expected to remain a starter until the end of the season. In addition to Iñigo, Barcelona also hopes to finalize the renewals of Pedri González and Gavi this week, two key players whose contracts expire in 2026.