young players

FC Barcelona has announced the signing of the keeper from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Marc-André Ter Stegen, and the departure of José Manuel Pinto after six and a half years of service to the team. In addition, youngsters Gerard Deulofeu and Rafinha Alcantára will be returning to the Club after a year out on loan at Everton and Celta Vigo respectively. The Catalan winger and the Brazilian born midfielder both came up through the Masia and they have put in impressive performances on loan this year. Ter Stegen is one of the new signings for the 2014/15 Barça squad, announced by Football Director Andoni Zubizarreta and FC Barcelona's Board of Directors. On top of this, they also confirmed that José Manuel Pinto will no longer defend Barça’s goal now that his contract has expired.

The 21-year-old Mexican midfielder will have a buyout clause of 30 million Euros. Jonathan dos Santos started his Barça career with the Infantil B team and has worked his way up to the Barça B squad. Guardiola calls him sometimes to play wit Barça’s first team, such as in the last Champions League game against AC Milan.

FC Barcelona’s coaching directorate has always defended the need to prioritise home grown talent and give the youngsters a chance to shine. Last week, the old Masia building closed, as a new and larger one has been built in Barça’s Sporting City. Besides, the contract extension for Thiago Alcántara is the latest example of this policy.