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Barcelona announced on Sunday that 18-year-old United States starlet Konrad de la Fuente has signed a new contract with the club that runs until June 2022 with the option for two more.
The extension includes a buyout clause of €50 million ($56m) which will increase to €100m ($112m) when he joins the first team at the Camp Nou.
The teenager is the latest youngster to commit his future to the club. Barcelona has also announced extensions for midfielder Álvaro Sanz, striker Nils Mortimer, and goalkeeper Arnau Tenas this week.
Barcelona B manager Francisco Javier García Pimienta will also renew shortly and is expected to finalize his new contract early next week, according to Gerard Romero at RAC1.
Konrad Looks to the Future at Barcelona
De la Fuente will be part of Barcelona B next season. García Pimienta’s team has enjoyed a strong season and could be promoted to Spain’s second division if they are successful in next month’s promotion play-offs.
The young winger is hoping Barca B can make the step up and spoke about how he’s looking forward to playing under García Pimienta again.
“I am very happy to stay at the best club in the world. 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 U19B team.”
Getting Used to Messi
Barca is renowned for bringing talented youngsters through and has 17-year-old Ansu Fati and 20-year-old Riqui Puig currently making an impression in the first team.
If De la Fuente can make the step up then he will need to get used to playing alongside Lionel Messi and Co. De la Fuente told ESPN back in April that he was overawed the first team he met the Barcelona captain.
“He [Messi] was having an interview at La Masia and I was there. When the interview was over I went to go take a picture of him.
“And as I’m walking up to him-I’m with two of my other friends-I’m like ‘Oh, it’s Messi, it’s great.’ I’m like almost shaking. And I asked him if I could take a picture and he goes: ‘Yeah,’ and I have my phone in my hand, and I’m looking down at my hand is trembling. It was crazy. I’ve never felt like that in my life.”
De la Fuente has been at Barca since the age of 12, and Barca will be hoping he can be the latest player to come through their famous La Masia academy and achieve success at the Camp Nou.
As well as being schooled at Barcelona he’s already gained plenty of international experience too. The teenager has featured in the U.S. youth teams since he was 14 and was part of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the U20 World Cup in 2019.
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