The ‘new era’ at La Masia began after Marc Guiu’s departure: when the striker informed the club that Chelsea would trigger a €6 million clause, Barça launched a renewal system for players signing for the juvenile stage to protect itself against outside clubs’ approaches.
Some players kept the previous terms because they renewed before Guiu left (for example, Dro). A Galician midfielder informed Flick and the dressing room one Friday that he would leave for PSG; his move was possible precisely because the release clause was affordable. After negotiations —and with the club arranging a small compensation— the exit price was left at just over €8 million. Despite Flick’s trust and his five first-team appearances, the player ultimately moved on.
The club’s policy increases the release clause as milestones are reached. A debut in the Youth League, for instance, raises the clause from €6m to €8m. That group includes several 2009 and 2010-born youngsters who have been called up at least once for the international competition: Baba Kourouma, Orian Goren and Ebrima Tunkara (the latter just turned 16 and has signed his new contract for the juvenile stage). Others still listed at €6m but under the new terms are Iu Martínez, Byron Mendoza, Michal Zuk, Xavi Miràngels, Jordi Pesquer, Sergi Mayans and Joan Inglés — their clauses will increase automatically when they debut in the Youth League.
Among the 2008 cohort, those called up at least once for Barça Atlètic would see their clause rise to about €10m. And 2008 players already registered as Barça Atlètic members have clauses above €15m — examples include Toni and Guille Fernández, protected as club bets. Had Dro signed under these conditions and with his five first-team appearances, Barça would have secured a clause near €25m, likely deterring PSG from executing it. The clause continues to climb as players feature more with the first team.
