Official: Barcelona secure long-term future of 18-year-old La Masia gem until 2028 | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have had a very productive academy in recent seasons, but there has been some concern about retaining talent at Barca Atletic for the upcoming season.

The reserve team of the Catalan club had a catastrophic 2024/25 season, getting relegated to the fourth division of Spanish football and putting a question mark over the upcoming season.

Many of the quarry team gems are at an age where development is key, and they might not want to play in the fourth tier of Spanish football for one full year in an attempt to come back up.

Thankfully, the club is managing to convince some of its talented gems. As per Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have officially announced the renewal of Xavi Espart.

The young Spaniard has signed a new deal to stay at Barcelona until 2028. He was one of the stars of Juliano Belletti’s Juvenil A team last season, and he is expected to be a key part of Barca Atletic squad this season.

One of Espart’s biggest positives so far has been his versatility. He initially started out as a midfielder capable of playing both as an interior and a pivot, but has evolved into a right-back.

It does look like his future as a footballer would be in the right-back position. He has excellent characteristics both in terms of inverting and overlapping as a right-sided defender.

The youngster is now in his 11th season. He looks set to be a key part of the Atletic team in the upcoming season, and let’s hope that Xavi Espart can continue to impress and develop to hopefully push himself into the first-team picture in the future.