Barcelona’s extension offer for Busquets revealed, features 69% salary cut – report

According to Diario SPORT, FC Barcelona are finally set to come up with a renewal offer for Sergio Busquets, in their bid to keep hold of the player for at least until 2024.

The offer will not be a lucrative one, keeping in mind Barcelona’s dire financial situation and the need to reduce their overall salary mass, in order to avoid Financial Fair Play regulations.

With that in mind, Barça are expected to hand Busquets an offer of around €7 million per season. The club are aware that this amount is significantly lower than he currently earns and what he could potentially receive from other clubs across the world.

Busquets has been strongly courted by MLS outfit Inter Miami, who want to incorporate him into the team as soon as possible. Moreover, the midfielder has reportedly received two fresh offers from a Qatar and an MLS club, ahead of his contract talks with Barça.

The Catalans, therefore, are not in a good position to financially woo Busquets. The midfielder is currently among the highest-paid members of the first team, with a gross salary of around €22-23 million. This means the new contract will propose a potential salary cut of up to 69%.

On top of that, the figures mentioned earlier are gross numbers, meaning they are subject to tax. Assuming Busquets will have to pay a tax of around 52%, he will only bag a figure of €3.6 million, which is a far cry from his current wage of ̉€11 million per season.

The report adds that Barcelona are set to formally table the offer next week. Depending on the response from Busquets’ camp, the club may proceed accordingly, in regard to their pursuit of a new midfielder in the transfer market.

Barça have been linked with several options in the market so far, including Ilkay Gundogan, who could join the Catalans on a free transfer this summer.