Barcelona have reportedly tabled a one-year contract extension offer to Sergi Roberto with an option to prolong it by another twelve months.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have held further negotiations with the agents of Sergi Roberto over a new contract for the versatile midfielder.
Roberto, a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup, is in the final two months of his contract with the club. The 30-year-old’s current deal runs out on June 30, and talks over a new deal have not progressed all too well.
Negotiations have been going on for a while, although they had taken a backseat for a while after Roberto picked up another long-term injury in October last year. The utility man, who can play in midfield or at right-back, is now closing on his return to action. With his contract also winding down soon, Barcelona have turned their attention towards discussing a new deal for him.
As per the report, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany met with Roberto’s representatives, Josep Maria Orobitg and Oscar Tena on Wednesday at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva del Barça complex to hold talks over a new deal for the 30-year-old.
It is stated that Barcelona have offered Roberto just a one-year contract extension with an option of a further 12 months based on performance. At the same time, as per the terms offered, the Spanish international would have to take a massive pay cut to continue at Camp Nou.
Roberto has spent his entire career at Barcelona and is currently among the club captains along with Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba. However, he has played a limited role in the past couple of seasons due to unrelenting injury issues.
Despite that, manager Xavi Hernandez wants to keep his former teammate around as he believes that Roberto adds value to the team with his versatility and tactical flexibility. For his part, the player, too, wishes to continue at Camp Nou. However, he will not sign an extension with a huge wage reduction as he does have more lucrative offers from elsewhere.
The Barcelona midfielder has been linked with a free transfer to Manchester City and Arsenal, while there have been reports of interest from several La Liga clubs, including Atletico Madrid. So, it remains to be seen whether Roberto accepts the proposal put in front of him by the Blaugrana or pushes for better terms or decides to run down his contract.