Barcelona veteran can join top clubs for free, has rejected first renewal offer

Barcelona veteran Sergi Roberto is one among several players whose contract expires at the end of the ongoing campaign. The versatile full-back-cum-midfielder has less than five months left on his current deal and is yet to renew.

The academy graduate, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Tuesday, has previously insisted that he wishes to remain at Camp Nou beyond the current season.

Barcelona, for their part, are also ready to prolong his stay at the club at the insistence of manager Xavi Hernandez, who values his former teammate due to his versatility and tactical understanding.

To that end, Barça were reported to have tabled a one-year contract offer to Roberto with an option of another twelve months.

However, reports have suggested that the Spaniard had turned down the offer as he was not happy with the additional one-year extension option that the club wanted to insert.

Now, MARCA is reporting that Roberto has indeed rejected the first contract proposal from the club, but his intention remains to continue at Barcelona.

It claims that given the good relations between Roberto and the club, and Xavi’s desire to keep hold of him will likely lead to further negotiations over the contract.

But, in case a renewal is not agreed upon, the report states that Roberto will be on the agenda of several top clubs across Europe.

The 31-year-old was already being courted by Atletico Madrid last summer when he was in a similar situation with regard to his contract.

There are no specific names mentioned in the report, but it states that if Roberto becomes a free agent in the summer, he can join a top team.

So, it will be up to the second captain and the club to resolve any differences regarding the contract and reach an agreement.