Barcelona have begun taking steps to secure the future of their most prominent young talents, after the summer transfer window closed its doors.
Spanish newspaper Marca revealed that the sporting department led by Deco has launched what it described as "Operation Shield", aiming to protect three of their most promising players with new contracts and hefty release clauses.
Having wrapped up the summer mercato by signing five players and offloading a number of high earners, Barcelona could finally open the file on renewing the deals of those they consider the future of the team.
Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim tops the list. He has caught the eye over the last few months, and Barcelona activated the clause to buy his contract permanently for 1.5 million euros following his run with the Egypt national team at the World Cup. He then continued to shine, ending up as the team's top scorer during pre-season.
According to Marca, the Catalan club are preparing to hand the Egyptian striker a significantly improved contract, hiking his release clause from 15 million euros to 150 million euros. The move reflects the management's faith in his ability and their determination to shield him from covetous European clubs.
Hamza won't be the only player in the project. Barcelona are also working to extend midfielder Marc Bernal's contract until 2031 with a pay rise, after Deco assured him that signing Rodri would not affect his standing or his career at the club.
You can discuss topics and news in greater depth in the "Kooora" forums
Young left-back Xavi Espart features in "Operation Shield" too. He has forced his way in since pre-season and cemented his place in the first team over the opening weeks of the campaign, prompting the club to rush through an improvement on his current deal, which runs until 2028.
Barcelona chose to hold off on renewal talks until after the market closed, keeping their focus on incomings and departures. Now their attention turns to the futures of their brightest young talents, whom they see as the cornerstone of the project for years to come.