Barcelona appear to be a prime market for Saudi Arabia this summer, with some of the bigger names in the game are available for the right price. In the case of Sergi Roberto, he is out of contract at the end of the season, but will not be headed to Saudi Arabia.
Catalan newspaper MD report that Roberto has turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia, allegedly due to political reasons. Roberto’s wife, Coral Simanovich, is a model working in the United States primarily, but is from Israel. Amid the conflict on the Gaza Strip, and with Saudi Arabia backing the Palestinian cause, he and his family do not feel it would be a good idea to make the move.
It appears Barcelona will not offer him a new deal in the summer, although they are yet to tell Roberto of their decision, even if he is keen to continue. Equally, Roberto has spoken of his desired next move in recent months, declaring that he would be open to remaining in Europe, but eventually wants to try his luck in Major League Soccer in the USA. Roberto frequently holidays in New York, and if the opportunity is there, then it seems likely he will be the next Barcelona veteran to end up in MLS.
