It’s an important summer for Barcelona, as the Hansi Flick era begins in earnest and the Catalan outfit attempt to take their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, down a peg or two.
Under their legendary manager, Xavi Hernandez, last season, Barca were a shadow of their former selves for much of the domestic campaign, though their Champions League foray could well have ended successfully in Ronald Araujo hadn’t got himself sent off against Paris Saint-Germain.
Another club legend, Sergi Roberto, the last of the ‘golden generation’ for the Pep Guardiola days, won’t be pulling on the Blaugrana again as he’s now available on a free transfer, and according to Fabrizio Romano, he could be pitching up just about anywhere.
“I’m not aware of advanced talks with Premier League clubs at the moment for Sergi Roberto,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“The only concrete thing I’ve reported is about Ajax. They spoke to the player, but he wanted to consider his options before deciding.
“It will take some days for him to make his decision and then pick his favourite option. He’s open to any league; it’s more about the project.”
That the Catalans are prepared to let their club captain move on, despite his experience and versatility, would suggest that they have something up their sleeve in terms of incoming transfers.
Supporters will be expecting that to be the case because it makes little sense in letting Roberto leave if the club have no replacement lined up.
Another player expected to be on the move is Vitor Roque, whose fortunes have changed incredibly since he was unveiled by the club last season.
“Barca have still not received any official bid for Vitor Roque. The only approach was from Al Hilal but the player turned down the initial approach. Let’s see if they will return,” Romano continued.
“For Barça, his exit could only be possible if they get almost same transfer fee as they invested to sign him from Athletico Paranaense, around €30m plus €31m in add-ons.”
The post Exclusive: “He’s open to any league” – Barcelona legend waiting for right project appeared first on CaughtOffside.
