Barcelona on the verge of renewing veteran star – announcement next month | OneFootball

Few expected Wojciech Szczesny to have the impact that he did when he came out of retirement to sign a contract until the end of the season with Barcelona. The 34-year-old has won over the Blaugrana dressing room, coaching staff and fanbase with his personality and performances though.

Despite an error-strewn  first few appearances, Hansi Flick kept faith in Szczesny after promoting him to number one ahead of Inaki Pena. Faith that Szczesny has repaid, with the Polish veteran looking at home and stating on several occasions just how much he is enjoying his time at the Catalan club.

Such has been his impact that Flick and Sporting Director Deco agreed that he should be kept on for next season as competition for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, as the German captain makes his way back from injury. Szczesny has decided he is happy to continue too, and agent Jonathan Barnett stated earlier this month that there would be no issues in reaching a deal.

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

As per Relevo, Szczesny is one step away from signing a contract renewal. Sport corroborate that news, stating that the Blaugrana will extend him for a further year, although Robert Lewandowski’s extension will be rubber-stamped first. The fact his compatriot is staying is thought to be factor, and Szczesny’s new deal will likely be announced in April.

It will be intriguing to see the battle between ter Stegen and Szczesny for the number one spot next season. A priori, the Barcelona captain will return as the de facto starter in goal for Flick, but ter Stegen has not been free from criticism in recent seasons either, and is now coming off a third surgery in four seasons. Szczesny on the other hand is yet to taste defeat as a Barcelona player so far, and has added some security to the backline.