Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has implored midfielder Sergi Roberto to stay at the club for the rest of his career.
The 25 year old’s contract expires in 2019, and talks between the Catalan side and the player have reportedly stalled. Chelsea were one of the teams who were believed to be keen on signing the utility player in the summer but Roberto opted to remain at the Camp Nou.
Speaking on Barca TV during an awards ceremony with the midfielder in attendance, Bartomeu was quoted by Sport as saying:
“You have to stay here for many years, you have to retire at Barça, we would be very excited.”
Roberto still has a €40million (£35m) buyout clause in his contract that any club can trigger if they choose to do so. The midfielder has more often than not been used at right back by manager Ernesto Valverde this season, most recently in the 2-0 win over Villarreal, and the player will no doubt take into consideration the fact he is being played out of position, when agreeing to sign a new deal.
The longer contract talks stretch on for though, the greater speculation there will be that the player will opt to leave the La Liga side in search of a new challenge.
