Barcelona after closing the renewal talks of Inaki Pena, Balde, and Gavi, now turn their attention to four other pending renewal cases as per the recent reports from SPORT. The club is closely monitoring the situation of each player and will make a decision in the upcoming month regarding the renewals of these four players.
1: Hector Bellerin
The majority of the topics are impending renewals. The first case is of the summer arrival Hector Bellerin. The ex-Arsenal player arrived at Camp Nou for free, as a stopgap measure to offer an extra fullback to the coach for selection. He had a fairly decent season with Real Betis before, winning the Copa Del Rey with fellow La Liga competitors.
However, the former graduate of the renowned La Masian academy has not lived up to the expectations of the board, fans, and the coach alike. He has only played 134 minutes in total in La Liga and has had no positive impact whatsoever. His renewal is not likely at all, as he has fallen out of favor in the eyes of Xavi. He is most likely to leave as a free agent at the end of the season.
2: Sergio Busquets
The 2nd concern is of the Barcelona legend, Sergio Busquets. Xavi would like him to stay at the club for one more season as a backup option, but he occupies a major chunk of the salary space. Barcelona is struggling to register the contracts of Gavi and Araujo, and the La Liga offices have demanded a 150-200 million wage reduction for new registrations.
A conflict of interests is seen here, as the experience and mentorship would come at a cost of less economical space for maneuvers. Of course, the veteran can renew on a meager salary, but the minimum wage again will be determined as per La Liga rules. It is a 50-50 case as of now, and either of the two outcomes is possible for the time being.
3: Ousmane Dembélé
The third case is of Ousmane Dembele, who has a contract till the summer of 2024. The club wants to renew him, as he is one of the most vital cogs of Xavi’s system. He is the main wide outlet and has been delivering consistent performance since the arrival of Xavi.
Before Xavi’s arrival, the Frenchman was deeply scarred by his inconsistency, lack of impact, and injuries. The French winger was even heavily booed by the Camp Nou faithful after he refused to renew his contract and the chaos caused by his agent Sissoko. However, Xavi invested his faith in the abilities of Dembele which now reflects on the pitch.
Having scored 8 goals in total this season across all competitions and delivering a man-of-the-match performance against Sociedad at Camp Nou which ensured the progression to the Semi-finals of Copa Del Rey, its no surprise that the club wants to enjoy his services for years to come and the Frenchman also wants to stay.
4: Sergi Roberto
The fourth case is of Sergi Roberto. The old guard has had a decent season till now, having 2 goals so far after being used as a Right Back and midfielder as per need. The contract of the veteran player might be renewed as he does not have a concerning salary, however, the final decision rests on Xavi.
