Barcelona are making plans for next season, and with little money to spare, it appears they will look to trim any elements of the squad they do not consider strictly necessary. Two of their veterans, Marcos Alonso and Sergi Roberto, are included in that group.
Alonso, 32, arrived at Barcelona 18 months ago, and while he did feature on a regular basis last season, has not seen the same protagonism this time round. Although he has missed their last five matches through injury, the ex-Chelsea defender has played just once since October. His contribution amounts to just 299 minutes in 7 appearances. Reportedly, he is struggling to make the grade for Xavi Hernandez and his staff.
For Roberto, it is not a dissimilar story on the pitch. He had played the same amount of games and just a minute more until his man of the match performance against Almeria last week, when he scored a brace and played the full match.
🚨 Sergi Roberto wants to continue for another season and would have the support of the coaching staff as they consider him a reference inside the locker room. The player would be willing to make a new financial effort despite the fact that he is already one of the players who… pic.twitter.com/K0eL1hEXVX
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 25, 2023
Both are out of contract in the summer, and Sport say that Barcelona are edging towards letting their deals expire. Alonso is keen to move on in the summer faced with a lack of opportunities, but Roberto wants to continue at the club, and is willing to extend his deal, even if it means taking another pay cut. That is despite the fact he is already the lowest-paid senior player in the side.
Atletico Madrid showed interest in Alonso last summer, and could be an option again in 2024. He also has options in the Premier League – Barcelona will inform both players of their decision in January to give them time to look for a new club.
It looks as if Alonso’s time at the club is up, but Roberto’s case could well depend on the manager. Xavi has spoken positively of Roberto on many occasions, and values his leadership off the pitch. If Xavi is leading them into the new season next year, then Roberto’s salary limit hit is so minute that the Blaugrana may opt to stick with him.
