Top Stories

Konrad De La Fuente signs new contract with Barcelona

Konrad De La Fuente has confirmed his future with European giants Barcelona for the next two seasons.

Barcelona announced Sunday that De La Fuente renewed his contract until 2022. There is also an option for an additional two years and a buyout clause of €50 million rising to €100 million if he joins the first team.

“I am very happy to stay at the best club in the world,” De La Fuente said. “It has always been my dream to play for the first team, and that is why I want to stay here – to try to achieve it.”

“The main objective now is to move up to the Segunda División with Barça B. Having Garcia Pimienta as coach at Barça B is very good. I have already played under him for the U-19B team.”

De la Fuente has spent most of this season with Barcelona’s Under-19 team, scoring five goals and registering two assists in 18 combined appearances. He excelled in the UEFA Youth League, scoring a combined three goals in two appearances against Slavia Praha.

The 18-year-old reportedly trained with Barcelona’s B team in May and is scheduled to remain with them for the promotion playoffs. Barcelona faces Real Valladolid in the quarterfinals of the playoffs in July after a lengthy layoff in action due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Group 3, Barcelona B finished third with 49 points from 28 matches. The club cannot earn promotion to La Liga, but can jump up as high as the Segunda Division (second tier of Spanish Football).

De La Fuente was also linked to a possible move to Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin in Dec. 2019, but has decided to remain with the defending La Liga champions.

Internationally, De La Fuente has made nine appearances for the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team, scoring one goal. In total, De La Fuente has made 24 combined appearances at the USMNT youth ranks, scoring six goals. He is still awaiting his first senior call-up to the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter.

Comments

  1. I hope that if he does well with Barca B in the segunda division that he can get a look with the US senior team.

    Reply
    • They have to get there first, their only in the promotional playoffs to get to the Segunda. They have to win three two legged series against other top 16 teams, won’t be easy.

      Reply
    • Buyout clauses are required in all player contracts in Spain, and these kinds of numbers are very much standard for Barcelona — pretty much everyone in the senior squad has a buyout clause in excess of $100 million, with the top 8 buyout clauses each in excess of $500 million. Barca have been very paranoid about this since Arsenal snatched up Fabregas out of their academy back in the day.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Quit Whining About Soccer in the US Cancel reply