Barcelona veteran’s renewal decision will not be rushed, will depend on his life plan

With each passing day, Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets inches closer and closer to running down his contract with the club. The 34-year-old’s current deal expires on June 30 but there remain question marks over whether he will renew or not.

Barcelona are understood to have sent a formal contract proposal to Busquets recently and a decision is now awaited from the veteran midfielder.

According to Ferran Martinez of Mundo Deportivo, Busquets will not be rushing into a decision over his contract and will take his time to assess and analyse his next move carefully.

As per the report, the contract proposal sent to the midfielder by Barcelona is not very different from what they had offered him in the summer, in terms of salary or duration. The deal will be for one year with an option of an additional twelve months, with a significant wage cut.

But the difference between the offers from the summer and the current one is that the option of an additional year will come into force if Busquets plays a certain number of matches, unlike the previous offer when the player had the choice to decide.

The report adds that Busquets’ decision is not driven by money and economic motivations. If that was the case, he would happily accept the lucrative contract offer that clubs from Saudi Arabia have sent forth.

Instead, the 34-year-old’s next move will depend on his family and life plan, and he will thus think carefully before going ahead with his decision.

On top of that, there are other factors that could influence Busquets’ future. The continuity of Xavi Hernandez as Barcelona’s manager will be crucial for the veteran midfielder to renew.

As things stand, Xavi’s job is very much safe and a new contract is also on the horizon. And should Barcelona win La Liga, his future would be much more secure and solid, which would have a positive influence on Busquets’ decision.

Another factor that could impact the Barça captain’s future is Lionel Messi. Like Busquets, the Argentine is also in the final few months of his contract at PSG.

And given their good relationship, Messi’s decision, whether it is to move to Saudi, Inter Miami or even Barcelona, could influence Busquets.

All in all, there is no rush from the club’s side to decide right away, and Busquets, even though he was in a hurry to sort things out at the earliest, is now keen to take his time and arrive at a decision.