Official: Barcelona youngster renews until 2027 and secures loan exit

FC Barcelona have officially announced that youngster Andres Cuenca has signed a new contract until 2027 before signing for Sporting Gijon on loan until the end of the season.

“FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with player Andres Cuenca to renew his contract with the Club, which was due to expire on June 30, for another season, until June 30, 2027,” the club statement read.

“Furthermore, FC Barcelona and Sporting de Gijon have reached an agreement for the loan of the 19-year-old defender until June 30, 2026.”

Cuenca has been at La Masia since 2019, having joined from the youth ranks of Sevilla. The 18-year-old defender has grown steadily through the ranks and even went on to make his first-team debut for Barcelona last season under Hansi Flick.

Having been part of the Barça Atletic setup this season in the fourth division of Spanish football under Juliano Belletti, Cuenca has now left the club on loan to play for Sporting Gijon, who play at a higher level in La Liga 2.

For a while, it appeared that Cuenca would be leaving Barcelona permanently to sign for Como 1907 in Italy, given that his contract was set to expire at the end of the season. From there, he would have signed for Sporting on loan.

However, the Blaugrana decided to change that and retain control over his future, which is why they extended his contract by a year before letting him join the Spanish second-division side directly until the end of the season.

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