Sergi Roberto has reportedly decided to accept the one-year contract proposal tabled by Barcelona, with his current deal expiring in June.
According to SPORT, Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto has decided to prolong his stay at Camp Nou by accepting the one-year contract offer proposed by the Catalan club.
A product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy, Roberto made his senior breakthrough in 2011 under then-manager Pep Guardiola. He has been in and around the first team ever since and has amassed 316 appearances for the Blaugrana so far, making 49 direct goal contributions in his club career.
Roberto started his career as a central midfielder but has morphed into a right-back in recent years and has been a handy utility man for Barcelona without really establishing himself as a permanent fixture in the starting lineup. However, the 30-year-old’s future at Camp Nou looked uncertain as his current contract expires at the end of the season.
Talks over an extension had been held at the onset of the 2021/22 season and briefly around the January transfer window. But things had gone quiet for the past three months. Roberto being out with another serious injury did not help matters. And with negotiations not progressing, it seemed like the veteran star, who is also one of the club captains this season, would be on his way out.
There seemed to be no shortage of takers for Roberto either, as former mentor Guardiola reportedly wanted to sign him at Manchester City along with Premier League rivals Arsenal. There was interest from several La Liga clubs as well in the Spanish international ahead of the summer transfer window.
However, discussions over a new contract resumed last week, with Barcelona tabling a one-year extension offer for their captain. It was a shift from the two-year deal that was initially being talked about, but the Catalans did insert an option of a twelve-month extension based on the versatile defender’s performances.
The new deal would also demand Roberto to take further wage cuts, having already agreed to forego a large portion of his salary this season. So, it seemed like the 30-year-old would be rejecting the offer, given that he had better proposals from elsewhere. However, as per the report, the academy graduate has decided to accept Barcelona’s contract offer.
It is claimed that Roberto never wanted to leave Barcelona and is thinking about the sporting aspect more than the financial side of things. Manager Xavi Hernandez batted for the Spaniard’s contract extension, and the faith shown by the club legend has been crucial to him making this decision, the report adds.
Roberto played just twelve times this season before an injury sidelined him in October last year. He returned to training earlier this month and could play a part for Barcelona in the final phase of the season.