Sport: Barcelona plan Raphinha contract renewal this Thursday

According to Mundo Deportivo, after weeks of waiting and several postponements due to scheduling issues, Barcelona plan to officially finalize Raphinha's contract extension this Thursday.

The deal had in fact already been agreed. This newspaper previously reported on the meeting between Deco and Raphinha at a restaurant in Castelldefels, where Barcelona's sporting director and the player settled the details of his stay face-to-face. Both parties reached a full agreement, and since then only the official paperwork has remained.

Deco subsequently announced at the General Assembly that the extension had been completed. However, the difficulty of coordinating both parties' schedules delayed the signing ceremony. The delay was purely a scheduling matter and never involved any disagreement between the club and the player.

This Thursday has therefore become a suitable date. Barcelona played Aston Villa in the Champions League last night, and a recovery session is scheduled for Wednesday. On Thursday, Flick will likely give the entire squad a day off, although the final decision rests with the German coach. With no training commitments that day, it would be easier to hold the signing ceremony. From Friday, the team will turn its attention to preparing for Sunday's match against Atletico Madrid, with the final pre-match session scheduled for Saturday, followed by travel to the capital.

The extension comes at one of the best stages of the Brazilian's career. The 29-year-old Raphinha is in superb form, as he showed again by scoring twice against Aston Villa on Tuesday. The forward was one of the best players on the pitch, and his performance once again underlined his importance to the team.

Beyond his two goals, Raphinha's work rate throughout the match was also outstanding. He was relentless in his pressing, one of the most active players in off-the-ball runs, and constantly disrupted Aston Villa's build-up play. Such a complete performance demonstrated his excellent form and his ability to decide big games.

His contribution goes well beyond statistics. Raphinha is one of the captains and a role model in the dressing room, especially respected by younger players, who value his professionalism and dedication in every training session. Flick is also very pleased with the Brazilian. The German coach particularly appreciates his daily commitment and his willingness to work for the team, even when the game requires him to cover ground far from the opposition's penalty area. The match against Aston Villa once again showed how highly the coach rates him.

The club's sporting management considers it a luxury to have a player with such quality and experience. Raphinha himself is fully aligned with Barcelona's plans and has never hidden his desire to stay.

The agreement between both parties was settled long ago. Now only the signing and the official photo remain. If plans do not change, Thursday will finally be the chosen day. And when Raphinha signs, he will likely do so in peak form, having just proven once again on the pitch why Barcelona want to keep him.