Barcelona midfielder’s agent slams Joan Laporta for lying: “Far from reality”

Josep Maria Orobitg, the agent of Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto, has hit out at president Joan Laporta, insisting that his comments on the Spaniard’s contract situation are ‘far from reality’.

In a recent interview, Laporta insisted that the club had tabled a contract offer for the 30-year-old star while adding that his renewal was in the hands of his representatives.

However, Orobitg has now lashed out at the Barcelona supremo, claiming that there has been no offer made for the La Masia graduate since September last year, with the club continuously cancelling meetings to negotiate a new deal.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said: “What Laporta said is far from reality. The only offer they gave us was in September and since then they have not offered anything.

“I tried to hold new meetings with the club, but they repeatedly neglected us. The communication between us was ‘cancelled’ and it was limited to messages. The club said they made three offers. Well, let them reveal them to us!”

Shedding light on Roberto’s salary and the previous wage cuts that he has taken, Orobitg added:

“Roberto is not among the highest paid players in the team. He is far from it. Roberto is a Catalan since he was born and loves Barcelona. In 2019, he reduced his salary by 12% and also deferred 42.9% of his salary like the rest of the team.”

The Spanish international’s representative also went on to claim that manager Xavi Hernandez is keen on the midfielder continuing at Camp Nou.

“Xavi wants Roberto in the team and he said this publicly in a press conference. He said to the player, the club, Alemany, Yuste, but I understand that he does not want to go into economic matters,” he said.

Orobitg finally implored Barcelona to arrive at a resolution over the matter of Roberto’s contract renewal at the earliest possible to offer him clarity on his future. “I ask the club that my client’s future be resolved quickly, and they be clear if they want us to stay or not,” he said.

Reports have claimed previously that Xavi wants the 30-year-old to stay put at Camp Nou. But, Barça have shown a reluctance to hold talks and are demanding that the midfielder turned right-back take a massive pay cut of around 75% to continue at the club.

It remains to be seen if there is any progress made on the contract talks or if the explosive interview from Orobitg ends up damaging any chances of a renewal for Roberto.