It has not been the best of seasons for Barcelona’s four captains. While Gerard Pique has already announced his retirement from professional football, Jordi Alba has not enjoyed the best of starts to the season, in terms of performances.
There are even indications that Alba could be offloaded by the end of the season. The same can be said for Sergio Busquets, whose contract at Camp Nou expires in 2023.
This leaves Sergi Roberto as the only other captain. The versatile veteran has not had a great season either, having succumbed to yet another injury right after he was looking in good touch on the pitch.
However, that has not deterred Xavi Hernandez from making efforts to renew his contract that expires at the end of the season.
Recent reports even suggest that the player could be handed a new contract as Xavi wants to keep him for at least another season. More so considering that the Blaugrana cannot afford to sign two new right-backs as Hector Bellerin will also leave in the summer.
But according to Toni Juanmarti on Beteve, Roberto’s future at Barcelona remains uncertain despite Xavi’s best attempts. The player is liked in the Barça camp due to his experience and versatility, but it appears the club could find it difficult to reach an agreement with Roberto over a new contract.
This is because the Spaniard is not on board with the idea of further reducing his salary. Roberto has already made adjustments to his salary earlier in the summer when his contract was extended.
He was even linked with a move away from Camp Nou, but the club ended up handing him a new deal at Xavi’s insistence. And Roberto, as per the report, let go of 60% of his salary to renew with the Blaugrana.
However, he is no longer keen to reduce his salary any further, even though he would love to remain at the club beyond this season.
So, the possibility of a prolonged stay at Camp Nou could be dissipating. And Barcelona continue to struggle with the Financial Fair Play rules, a new contract for Roberto could prove to be unrealistic, especially if Xavi opts to rejig his squad and build the team from scratch.
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