Barcelona reportedly turned down an offer of €20 million from Tottenham Hotspur for utility man Sergi Roberto in the summer of last year.
According to a report from Sin Concesiones, Tottenham Hotspur saw an offer of €20 million for Sergi Roberto get rejected by Barcelona in the summer transfer window of 2021.
Roberto, a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, has been a first-team member for a decade now and has made over 310 appearances for the club. The 30-year-old started his career as a midfielder but has been doing the job at right-back in recent years but has never been a permanent fixture in the lineup for the Blaugrana.
A handy utility player, Roberto has seen his stock decline considerably over the past couple of seasons, while injuries have also taken a toll on the La Masia graduate. Furthermore, the Spanish international entered the final year of his contract with Barcelona in the summer of last year.
Given his reduced stature within the squad coupled with the Catalan giants’ poor financial situation, sanctioning an exit for the utility man would have been a viable move. And, as per the report, it seems like Barcelona had the opportunity to do just that as Tottenham presented with a €20 million offer for Roberto.
Noticia @sinconcesiones
?El Barça rechazó una oferta por vender a Sergi Roberto de 20 millones.
▶️ El Tottenham ofreció esta cantidad por el traspaso del centrocampista catalán el pasado verano.
▶️ La dirección deportiva del Barça la rechazó a pesar de que era su último año. pic.twitter.com/uyuHLcg5jL
— 4️⃣0️⃣ años? Sin Concesiones (@sinconcesiones) May 2, 2022
The Lilywhites were in the market for a new right-back and a midfielder in the summer transfer window. And given Roberto’s contract situation at the time, a move would have made sense considering Daniel Levy’s penchant for bargain signings.
Even then, a €20 million offer for an injury-prone squad player does seem a bit strange from Tottenham. What is more surprising is Barcelona’s refusal to accept the said offer. As iterated earlier, the Blaugrana were in a poor financial situation and could have done with revenue generated from the potential sale of Roberto.
However, as per the report, the Blaugrana decided to turn down Tottenham’s offer and kept hold of Roberto. The 30-year-old made 12 appearances in the early stages of the campaign but has been out injured since late October last year. With his current contract expiring at the end of the season, the Catalans have agreed on a one-year extension for the versatile midfielder.
As for Tottenham, they did complete a deal with Barcelona last summer, signing Emerson Royal to bolster their options at right-back. However, the Brazilian has not performed up to the desired level in his debut season in England and could be allowed to leave by the north London club.
