Barcelona set a deadline for the veteran midfielder to decide future

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FC Barcelona continue their planning regarding the upcoming summer transfer window. With the restrictive implications of financial fair play still a haunting mess for the Catalans to deal with, their current efforts in ensuring the continuity of their best players persist indefinitely. A major name amongst those is Sergio Busquets.

The expected consequence of the answer is that the veteran Barcelona midfielder is going to play a major role in dictating the transfer strategy that Barcelona pursue. Currently playing at a level well beyond what was expected of him at the start of the season, this new tactical approach and system under Xavi Hernandez seem to have had an extremely positive impact on the effectiveness of Busquets.

The player’s refusal to renew would put Barcelona in a situation where they would have to look for certain alternatives to compensate for the loss of an undeniably world-class holding midfielder. A key name that has been floating around is that of German international and current Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, who is expected to not renew with the Blues from Manchester come the end of his contract in the summer.

Barcelona would be quick to pounce on this opportunity to sign him should the right circumstances arise, with the departure of Busquets being one of those.

FC Barcelona at this moment in time can not afford to offer Busquets the most lucrative of proposals for his renewal. In fact, the most recent proposal is reported to be worth a salary of around €3 million a season, a figure well below the terms of his current contract.

While the captain is aware of the necessary alternatives that the club has to take because of financial restrictions, as well as the fact that he would be offered a short-term deal, the player continues to study other proposals.

From an economic standpoint, the offers from the MLS are not that far away from the terms offered by Barcelona themselves. On the other hand, the offers from the Middle East that the Spaniard is primarily waiting upon, as it is expected that should the interest from those clubs and teams materialize, it could lead to a very lucrative offer being presented.

While Barcelona are clear that they will not rush the player at this moment in time regarding his decision, they make it certain to his entourage that they would like to finalize these negotiations and the consequent decision-making process before the end of April as per the reports from SPORT.

This would allow the Barcelona Board and sporting sector to then facilitate a necessary replacement just in case. Whereas if he renews, it would relieve the club of an extraordinary amount of work then left to sort out.

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