Barcelona agree new contract with 18-year-old set for first team promotion | OneFootball

In a week’s time, the Barcelona first team will return to the club’s training complex for the start of pre-season. Once there, head coach Hansi Flick will run the rule over several promising young players, as he has done over the previous two summers.

Over the coming weeks, Flick will have his eye on two players in particular: Eder Aller and Iker Rodriguez. The two are in the running to be Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper behind Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny, with that decision likely to be made in the lead-up to the 2026-27 season kicking off next month.

And ahead of pre-season, one of them has committed to a new contract. As per MD, Barcelona have agreed terms with Rodriguez, who had attracted interest from clubs across Europe prior to giving his approval to the renewal.

Barcelona have high hopes for Rodriguez

Aged 18, Rodriguez has already trained with the Barcelona first team on numerous occasions during Flick’s tenure. He’s seen as the great promise of the goalkeeping department within La Masia, with the hope that he could become the club’s number one in the future- although it will be hard to displace Garcia.

Tying Rodriguez down to a new contract is important for Barcelona, given that his previous deal was due to expire next summer. They can now look forward to welcoming him into the first team for pre-season without the threat of possibly losing him for nothing in 2027, as that would have been a concern for the club’s sporting department.

It remains to be seen whether Rodriguez is selected to be Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper for the 2026-27 season, but even if he is edged out by Aller, his status within the club will not change. If anything, it could mean that he features more for Barca Atletic in the fourth tier of Spanish football.