Earlier today, news of Sergi Roberto’s renewal took the Spanish media by storm. Word had it that the club and the player were close to an agreement and even that an announcement was not far off.
The report further added that the captain’s renewal had nothing to do with Xavi’s continuity as manager, for Deco had decided to offer an extension to the player regardless.
In a dramatic change of events, Luis F Rojo of MARCA reveals that matters are not as rosy as initially portrayed.
Barcelona are indeed trying to speed up the process of the captain’s renewal with a meeting scheduled for the end of this week or the beginning of the next.
However, the journalist insists that it will not be half as simple as it appears. After all, both parties are far from a mutual agreement on multiple fronts.
For starters, Roberto gave up a large part of his wages in his last renewal to help the club with their financial situation. He is, in fact, one of the lowest-paid players in the team and is not willing to forfeit any more money.
Further, the captain is not satisfied with a one-year renewal and demands that he be offered at least two years of continuity. He intends to thus start negotiations from scratch, something the board do not necessarily agree with.
One must not forget that Barcelona are still far from financial stability and a return to the good books on financial fair play.
Roberto’s renewal, on that front, poses a massive hurdle.
As a player whose contract ends this summer, his renewal will be registered on the same books as a new signing. As is well known by this point, Barcelona have already exceeded the limit on that front and have very small margins.
Both parties wish for a renewal, but it is clear that an agreement is far from being just around the corner.
