Xavi was crucial to the imminent contract renewal of Barcelona defender

Should Barcelona end up securing a win against UD Almeria later tonight in La Liga, the club plan to finalise and officially announce the contract renewal of veteran defender Sergi Roberto on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old’s current contract expires at the end of the ongoing season, but has reached an agreement in principle to extend for another year.

Furthermore, the deal will be renewed automatically for twelve more months if the Spaniard goes on to play a specific number of matches in the 2023/24 season.

Roberto had always insisted that he wished to continue at Barcelona beyond the current campaign. But there had been some doubts within the club over offering him an extension.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, manager Xavi Hernandez was ultimately ‘crucial’ in Roberto getting a new contract proposal from Barcelona.

The update from the Italian transfer expert states that Xavi wanted the La Masia graduate to be a part of the team for one more season as he believes that the 31-year-old is the ‘biggest Barça fan’.

The manager has previously highlighted how he values Roberto due to his ability to play in various areas of the pitch, be it at right-back, central midfield or even in the attacking trident.

Furthermore, considering Barcelona’s financial situation, it would have been hard for the club to bring in two new right-backs in the summer.

Hence, Roberto’s extension can be seen as a sensible move as he continues to be on reduced wages and can provide depth in multiple positions. And Xavi had a big hand in ensuring that the 31-year-old remains at Spotify Camp Nou for at least one more year.

With Roberto’s contract renewal likely to be wrapped up in a few days, the focus will shift to tying down Sergio Busquets to one more year. The 34-year-old veteran is open to staying at the club, but is yet to receive a formal offer.