Xavi the only one who wants veteran star to continue at Barcelona – report

With only three months remaining on Sergio Busquets’ current contract with Barcelona, it is high time for everyone involved to make a decision on his future. 

In that regard, club president Joan Laporta has already affirmed that the management will make a new offer to Busquets soon. In a recent interview he said:

“Busquets is important and I think Xavi wants him to stay for another year. We have not yet made an offer, but we will make one shortly so that he can continue for one more year. He has to value many aspects: family, country, other offers.”

And as it turns out, the approach has only been made at the request of Xavi. As journalist Alfredo Martinez said on Radioestadio Noche, Xavi is the only one at Barcelona who wants the midfielder to stay.

Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Busquets continues to play a vital role in Xavi’s blueprint. In fact, whenever available, the 34-year-old is usually one of the first players to be named in the starting XI.

Over the course of the season, however, Barcelona have been forced to make several adjustments and in one way or the other, Busquets’ continuity will be of great help.

To begin with, working within the salary limit is proving to be extremely difficult for Barcelona so if the midfielder does decide to continue, one can expect him to take a significant wage cut.

But if he ends up leaving, the team from Catalonia will be forced to look for cheap alternatives or those who can arrive on a free transfer. So in such cases, approaches could me made to the likes of Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City or Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.

At the same time, however, matching their salaries would be difficult for Barcelona and this means Busquets’ continuity is not only good for the on-field sporting project but it is equally efficient for their financial blueprint, as long as he is willing to accept a pay cut.