Busquets could stay on for another year with Barcelona

Sergio Busquets’ future could be about to take a new turn. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Barça captain had practically made up his mind to say goodbye to Camp this summer but appears to have changed his mind. Now, he is considering staying on for another season. A conversation with Xavi, during which the coach stressed his importance to the team, together with Messi agreeing a contract extension with PSG have been decisive factors. And there is another - Barça are not sure that they will be able to sign a defensive midfielder next summer. Xavi is keen to bring in Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi while Joan Laporta prefers Wolves midielder Rubén Neves. But if Busquets continues, any conflict between the coach and the president would be avoided and, better still, money would be saved.

No duties with Spain

Barça had considered renewing the captain’s contract for another two seasons last summer. But LaLiga’s salary constraints plus the player’s own doubts stopped the operation going ahead. One more factor may influence whether Busquets stays on. His decision to retire from international football will allow him to focus on the club and enjoy more breaks. Now that he no longer has any responsibilities with the national team could increase his longevity at elite club level.

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Obviously Barça would like to have a definitive answer from the midfielder as soon as possible so that they can start planning for next season. Busquets is not an easily replaceable component in the team - he is one of the cornerstones. Should he renew, filling the midfielder position would cease to be a priority. The least convincing option, as far as the club is concerned, was the proposal of renewing Busquets for half a season that was put on the table a few days ago. That would leave everything up in the air and would be of no help to Xavi who is already designing his Barça squad for 2023-24.