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Premier League Bound: Former Barcelona Captain Sets Sights on England
- Ex-Barcelona skipper looking to make a move to the Premier League next season
- Several clubs are interested, but Sevilla and others will give them a run for their money
- Barcelona failed to register the midfielder ahead of the August 10 deadline
By Matthew McEvoy
Former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto is eyeing a move to the Premier League this summer, after his contract with the Catalan club expired earlier this month. With no renewal offer on the table due to Barcelona’s financial restrictions, Roberto is exploring alternative options.
Roberto had initially agreed to stay at the club for an additional season, but the departure of Xavi Hernandez has seen the Catalans change their mind. As a result, Roberto is looking at other options, with the Premier League being touted as his most likely destination, according to Mundo Deportivo.
A product of Barcelona’s famed academy, La Masia, Sergi Roberto has been a first-team fixture at Nou Camp since 2010, making 373 appearances and notching 19 goals.
Barcelona’s former skipper is eyeing a move to the Premier League after his contracted ended
It’s believed both Roberto and Barca bosses wanted him to stay, but complications with financial fair play regulations meant new contractual terms could not be agreed. Now, given that Roberto wasn’t willing to wait on Barca, reports say the 32-year-old is ready to move away from a club – and league – he’s spent the entirety of his youth and professional career in.
The Premier League is said to be his favoured destination, and according to Mundo Deportivo, Roberto is ‘working on an offer that brings him there in the next few days’. It remains to be seen which Premier League club Roberto is in talks with, but it is known he’s courting interest from other La Liga clubs, including Sevilla, Valencia, and Girona as well.
Sergi Roberto has been at Barcelona since 2006, making his professional debut in 2010
The move to England will come as a blow to Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, as he told the 32-year-old midfielder that he was ‘relying on him’ for the 2024-2025 season – regardless of whether he made the starting XI or featured from the bench.
Barcelona’s new head coach, Hansi Flick, has worked with Roberto since joining this year
Xavi, who Roberto played alongside in the latter stages of his career and managed Barcelona for three years, handed him the captaincy after Sergio Busquets left the club in 2023.
Roberto is perhaps best known for scoring a dramatic last-minute winner for Barca, in their 6-5 Champions League quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 – a match many consider one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time.
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