Xavi Hernandez still counts on Nico Gonzalez, who is expected to replace Sergio Busquets

Xavi Hernandez still counts on Nico Gonzalez, who is expected to replace Sergio Busquets.

With the signature of Gavi’s new contract earlier this week, Barcelona, who has previously committed players like Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Ronald Araujo to new contracts over the past year, made a significant step closer to safeguarding the long-term future of the young core of their club.

Midfielder Nico Gonzalez is another La Masia alum who will probably be a part of this core group of future stars.

Similar to Gavi, the 20-year-old rookie earned his first-team debut last season but was unable to establish himself as a regular in the lineup. Particularly in the second half of the previous season, Nico’s playing time was extremely irregular.

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Due to the acquisition of Franck Kessie, Barça’s refusal to let go of Frenkie de Jong, as well as the team’s initial choice to keep Miralem Pjanic, Nico was forced to leave the team on loan and join Valencia in order to gain regular playing time.

Despite not being a present member of the Barcelona team, manager Xavi Hernandez reportedly still has high hopes for the 20-year-old midfielder in the future.

After all, Nico is committed to the Blaugrana until the summer of 2026 thanks to a long-term deal. He still has his entire career ahead of him at the age of 20, and Xavi intends to include him in his plans along with the aforementioned quartet in order to create a competitive team for the future.

The 20-year-old has featured five times for Valencia under Gennaro Gattuso since joining the club, once even scoring. The teenage midfielder would have struggled to get playing time if he had remained at Camp Nou.

The decision to take out a loan made sense for him to continue growing. Additionally, a full season of consistent play at this level will improve him as a player when he rejoins Barcelona in 2023.