There was never any doubt that Barcelona and Raphinha would continue together. The only question was when the Brazilian would put pen to paper once again. He completed the formalities yesterday, bringing another chapter of the club's contract renewal drive to a close.Barcelona have secured the long-term futures of virtually all their most valuable assets. Over the past 18 months, the Catalan club have wrapped up a string of major deals.Back in January last year, president Joan Laporta, sporting director Deco and the rest of the club's football operations team managed to tie Pedri and Gavi down to new contracts until the summer of 2030 within the space of just two days. Pau Cubarsi followed two weeks later, although his deal runs for a year less, while Lamine Yamal put pen to paper on a contract until the summer of 2031 in May.Barcelona decided to sell BaldeAnd Barcelona have continued to strengthen their position. Frenkie de Jong was next in line in October last year, signing a deal that runs until the same date as Cubarsi's. Then, earlier this year, the club reached an agreement with Fermin Lopez, tying him down until 2031, just like Yamal. Raphinha is the latest name on the list. The Barcelona captain is now under contract at Camp Nou until the summer of 2030. So, who is next?Barcelona have drawn up a plan at Camp Nou, and all that remains is to put it into action. The Catalan club have three more players lined up for contract extensions. The deals are all but agreed, with the club now looking for the right moment to make them official.Everything has been settled with Marc Bernal, who is set to sign a new deal until the summer of 2031. His current contract runs for two years less, and the fact that Rodri arrived over the summer has done nothing to change the club's stance. Barcelona continued to believe in the La Masia graduate even while he was sidelined with injury, never considering selling him to a Premier League club or Atletico Madrid. They are convinced he has a bright future ahead of him and could become one of the players around whom their coaches build the team over the next decade.Shocking: Spanish footballer dies after a collision on the pitchOnce Bernal's extension is official, Barcelona will turn their attention to defender Gerard Martin and midfielder Brian Farinas. The latter made his first-team debut in La Liga towards the end of October this year before earning a starting berth against Aston Villa in the Champions League. Both players have two years left on their current deals, and Barcelona want to tie them down for the long haul.It is also worth adding that Barcelona signed Rodri, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus over the summer. With the core of the squad now secured for the foreseeable future, the club are unlikely to target more than one or two new signings in future transfer windows.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 12Saturday16.00: (2.45) Malaga (3.60) Racing Santander (2.70)18.15: (2.35) Espanyol (3.40) Deportivo A Coruna (3.00)20.30: (3.60) Osasuna (3.50) Athletic Bilbao (2.05)23.00: (9.50) Valencia (6.00) Real Madrid (1.28)Sunday16.00: (3.20) Elche (3.90) Real Betis (2.10)18.15: (1.67) Real Sociedad (4.20) Rayo Vallecano (4.50)20.30: (1.90) Celta Vigo (3.70) Levante (3.90)20.30: (1.43) Villarreal (4.50) Getafe (7.00)23.00: (3.60) Atletico Madrid (5.00) Barcelona (1.80)***odds are subject to change***
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