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Katalonia club officially announced that they have extended the contract with midfielder Thiago Alcantara until June 30, 2015.
The contract includes a buyout clause of 90 million euros. Any club interested in acquiring the player without the knowledge of his current team would have to pay this amount.
The midfielder's previous contract would have expired in the summer of the following year. According to this contract, the team had until January 31, 2011, to inform the player about his prospects. On January 17, the club leaders announced that Thiago was being promoted to the main team. This automatically meant that the previous contract was extended until June 30, 2013.
Today, a new contract was signed, tying Thiago to the Catalonia club for two additional years, until June 30, 2015.
In the 2010-2011 season, Thiago finished with the Barcelona B team, but often trained with the main team and played several official matches.
This summer, the midfielder, along with the Spanish U21 national team, became a European champion and caught the eye of many top clubs. It was reported in the media that London's Chelsea, Man Utd, Villarreal, Arsenal, and Roma were interested in him, but the player repeatedly stated that he had no intention of leaving Barcelona. This sentiment was also echoed by Thiago's father, former footballer Mazinho.
"The club gave me everything they could. I grew up and trained here. I did everything to break into the first team and finally received an offer to sign a contract. Now it's time to prove that the team leaders and coaches trust me for a reason," Thiago said, unable to hide his joy.
