Barcelona set to reduce midfielder’s current salary by more than 50%

Barcelona have recently announced the contract extension of Sergi Roberto, who has penned a new deal until 2024, with an option to potentially extend the deal for a further year.

But Barça still have their task cut out, as they look to extend the contract of another veteran star in the form of Sergio Busquets. The midfielder’s current deal at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season, but the club are expected to come up with a new offer that will propose a prolonged stay in Catalonia.

Barcelona have reportedly set a meeting with agent Josep Maria Ortig and the two entities are expected to meet next week.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barça are sensing a difficult phase of negotiations due to multiple reasons. For one, the club are yet to put forth any official offers on the table, despite Busquets’ representatives wanting to fast-track the situation.

More importantly, there are indicators that Barcelona’s offer may include a significant salary cut. This is because the club are facing immense pressure to lower their salary mass and the presence of Busquets, to that end, has been a problem, as the midfielder is one of the highest-paid players in the team.

The new offer, therefore, will include a significant salary cut. The offer may seem even less appealing if we consider the other offers Busquets has had from MLS clubs along with Saudi Arabian outfits.

All things considered, Busquets and Barcelona want to come to a conclusion to this saga as soon as possible. The club, in particular, are not too keen on prolonging the saga beyond March, knowing Busquets’ presence in the team may affect the club’s squad building for the season ahead.