Barcelona teenager Hector Fort has committed his future to the club, signing a new five-year contract. The 17-year-old is only allowed to legally sign for three years before August the 2nd, when he turns 18, when presumably Fort’s deal will kick in.
Fort made his debut this season under Xavi Hernandez, and impressed in his 10 appearances, recording three assists, and performing in high pressure situations against Athletic Club in San Mames and Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.
🚨 BREAKING: Laporta is considering the RETURN of Mateu Alemany! @alexpintanel
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 28, 2024
As per Sport, he will join the first team next season, under new manager Hansi Flick, and despite coming through as a right-back, will compete with Alejandro Balde for the left-back position. They say the deal was signed at 13:00 CEST on Tuesday, after which he went through the official club photos.
The club made the news official several hours later, with the announcement until 2026. His deal will then be extended until 2029 once he turns 18.
🎙️ "𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐢 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐧̃𝐨"
-Héctor Fort- pic.twitter.com/CqhOgrUP5F
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) May 28, 2024
Fort had just a year left on his contract this summer, and a release clause of only €6m, which no doubt caught the attention of Europe’s top clubs. However the Blaugrana have tied down another of their top talents, after doing the same with Pau Cubarsi. With Fort, who is yet to establish himself in the first team, it remains to be seen whether Flick will hand the same chances to the youngsters as Xavi did.