Zubimendi contract renewal could take him out of Barça's hands

Real Sociedad want to renew his deal and increase his release clause

Sergio Busquets's decision to leave when his Barcelona contract expires next summer has forced the club to seek a long-term replacement on the market.

Frenkie de Jong is an option in the current squad and Nico Gonzalez, currently on loan at Valencia, is an academy alternative, but the club are keen on Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

Barça are working on signing him at the end of the season and are confident of negotiating down his €60 million release clause, keeping in mind he would only have two years left on his deal at Anoeta, which runs until 2025.

But Barça's interest has forced La Real to act and they want to renew Zubimendi's deal until 2027 with a €2.5 million net salary and, of course, an increased release clause.

Some reports suggest an agreement with the player is close and his clause could go up to €90m, which would complicate any move to Barça.