“They didn’t tell me anything” - Spain star who won Olympics gold medal opens up on Barcelona exit

Former Barcelona reserve goalkeeper Arnau Tenas revealed that he left the club because he didn't receive a contract renewal offer from the La Liga side. The 23-year-old Spaniard joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer last summer.

Tenas joined Barcelona as a 9-year-old and came through their famed youth academy, La Masia. He, however, failed to break into the first team, finding himself playing third choice behind Andre ter Stegen and Inaki Pena.

In an interview on SER's Que 'T'hi Jugues' programme, Tenas confirmed that he had no issues with being back-up while honing his skills. However, a contract extension from Barcelona never arrived and the goalkeeper was forced to move away from his boyhood club.

"They did not send me any offer to renew. They did not tell me anything," he revealed.

The 23-year-old admitted that he would have stayed at the club he spent his formative years in, but a contract was not forthcoming by Barcelona, who were facing financial difficulties.

"They told me two weeks before my contract ended that they had Ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña, and also the economic situation is not good, but that they would renew my contract, and I would sign any contract to stay," Tenas added.

Although Tenas is yet to play for the Spain senior team, he has represented the youth sides across all age levels from Under 17 to Under 23. Most recently, Tenas starred for Spain at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The young goalkeeper played in all matches but one as the Spanish side won the Gold medal.

"I didn't expect it" - Former Barcelona goalkeeper Tenas

An emotional Tenas admitted that he had to leave Barcelona because he "nobody put an offer on the table." He revealed that his ideal situation would have been signing a contract extension with the Blaugrana and going elsewhere on loan.

However, with Inaki Pena and Ter Stegen already at the Catalan club, he was deemed surplus to requirements. Mundo Deportivo report Tenas as saying:

"The truth is that I didn't expect it [not receiving a contract extension]. Nobody put an offer on the table to tell me yes or no."

Barcelona reportedly wanted him to spend another year with the reserves, but with the goalkeeper attracting interest from across the globe, he decided to move on to grow his career.

"They told me that they trusted the three goalkeepers they had, but that I should stay one more year in the reserve team. And I didn't want to. I had to grow and play and play professionally. I spent a month and a half with everyone calling me, from all the leagues," he revealed.

Tenas is currently competing with Matvey Sofanov for the #2 position behind PSG's first-choice goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.