FC Barcelona to renew Mascherano's contract through 2016

The Argentine's buyout clause will be set at 100 million euros

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  Mascherano with the Club World Cup / PHOTO: ARXIU FCB

FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Javier Mascherano to extend the player's contract through the 2016 season. The Argentine’s buyout clause will be set at 100 million euros. 

The player will sign his new contract in the coming weeks. 

97 official matches with FC Barcelona 

After two seasons with the Club, Mascherano has won the respect and admiration from both his teammates and the Camp Nou faithful with an impeccable trajectory that’s taken him from his defensive midfielder role to the center of the defence. The Argentine, with 97 games under his belt, is just shy of completing 100 matches with the first team. “Mascherano has turned into a fundamental player for us. He hasn’t had a bad game since Guardiola put him in the middle of the defence. His experience makes him fundamental in the dressing room,” said Leo Messi just days ago. 

Moreover, Barça’s number 14 is the only player on the team, along with Sergio Busquets, that hasn’t missed a single match due to injury since the 2010/11 season. Mascherano’s only pending assignment is to score a goal for FC Barcelona.

First Training Sesssion  26/07/2012 

First training session 26/07/2012

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    PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
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Light training session for Leo Messi in Barça's post-match training session 

24 hours after the team's debut away to Hamburg, FC Barcelona returned to training. Leo Messi, who is recovering from injury, completed the session apart from the group

Leo Messi, who was dropped from the squad just before yesterday’s friendly due to injury, completed a light training apart from the group this Wednesday afternoon. This was the first session after yesterday’s pre-season match against Hamburg SV.Carles Puyol, who started training with the team on Monday, also trained apart from the group. 

Kiko Femenía returns 

The players that travelled to Hamburg, on the other hand, completed a normal session, with the exceptions of Marc Bartra and Sergi Roberto, the two players that played more than 45 minutes at Imtech Arena. 12 Barça B players, including Kiko Femenía - who has recovered from his muscle injury - trained with the first team. 

The team will train on Thursday morning at 9.00.

Barça B close two-year loan deal for Sergio Araujo

The Club reserves the right to purchase the Argentine player, who will be on loan to Barça B for the next two seasons from Boca Juniors 

Araujo passed his medical and he signed his new Barça B contract 

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  Sergio Araujo passed his medical / PHOTO: ÀLEX CAPARRÓS-FCB

Sergio Araujo is officially a new Barça B player. The Argentine, who is on loan from Boca Juniors, will wear the Azulgrana colours for the next two seasons. Barça reserve the right to purchase Argentine at the conclusion of his two-year loan deal.

After FC Barcelona announced that the Club had arrived to terms with Boca Juniors for the player on Tuesday, the Argentine forward passed his medical and signed his contract on Wednesday. 

The singing ceremony was attended by Araujo’s family, director of football Andoni Zubizarreta and the director responsible for Barça’s youth system, Jordi Mestre.

FC Barcelona - Hamburg - FC Barcelona (1-2)

Marc Muniesa out for six months

Tests on the defender this morning have confirmed that he has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee

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  Marc Muniesa estarà uns sis mesos de baixa / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB

Tests on Marc Muniesa this Wednesday morning have revealed that the defender has anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, as predicted yesterday. He is expected to take six months to recover from the injury, according to an announcement today by the Medical Services. He will require surgery on a date yet to be confirmed.

Muniesa was injured in Barça’s first preseason fixture, away to Hamburg (1-2). Following a stroke of misfortune when running down the wing, just after the second half had started, the player immediately felt something go in his right knee. After a primary inspection of the injury, the FC Barcelona doctors already suspected that he had torn cruciate ligaments. Sadly their suspicions were correct, and the Catalan youngster will now be out for about half a year.

A very intense day for Jordi Alba

Medical, signing ceremony, standing ovation at the Camp Nou and a press conference. Without a doubt, it was a very intense day for FC Barcelona's newest player It will take a long time for the memory of Thursday’s events to fade from Jordi Alba’s memory. If Wednesday served up an entrée of excitement for Alba as he posed with the FC Barcelona crest, then Thursday was a veritable feast of intensity for the player. The following is an overview of Jordi Alba’s first day as an Azulgrana.

- The defender from Hospitalet stopped by the Camp Nou at noon for the traditional photo-op with the FC Barcelona crest at the Club offices.

- -Moments later, Alba spoke with Barça TV and he showed himself to be eager and excited to play for, as he puts it, “the best team in the world.”

- On Thursday, the day started off with the player undergoing and passing his medical. This was the last step of the signing process before he penned his contract with the Azulgrana Club.

-Hours later the left back signed the contract which binds him with FC Barcelona for the next five seasons. His buyout clause is set at 90 million euros.

- In the Barça dressing room the player posed for the first time with the Barça kit.This is the first image of the player with his new jersey, it was published on FC Barcelona’s official Twitter account.

- Without a doubt, one of the most emotional and exciting moments of the day for Alba was the standing ovation he received from the 10,000 Barça fans at the Camp Nou. The player trotted out onto the pitch of the stadium as the newest addition to Tito Vilanova’s team. Before the left back left the pitch he thanked the fans for their support.

- Finally, the player closed out the day with a press conference in the Sala París. A visibly pleased Alba said that his “dream had come true.”