Barcelona have offered midfielder Sergio Busquets the chance to spend another two years at the club in exchange for a drastically reduced salary.
La Blaugrana are in a difficult financial situation today and have been warned by La Liga president Javier Tebas that they will have to cut costs after exceeding their salary cap, which is considered the only obstacle preventing them from extending Lionel Messi’s contract.
As part of their efforts to reduce costs, Barcelona is looking to reduce or restructure the salaries of its current group. Some players have already agreed to the plans and Catalunya Radio says that Busquets is next in line.
The 32-year-old still has two years left on his current deal, but Barcelona want to replace it with a four-year contract that would reduce his salary by half. He would take home less money each week, but in 2025 he would have earned as much as he is currently set to earn in 2023.
Barcelona hope that Busquets will accept the proposal as it would give him two extra years at his boys’ club, but they are also willing to offer some extra financial incentives to make this new offer more appealing.
Busquets has been offered for another two years / Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
During the last two years of this new contract, Busquets would also have the chance to raise some big bonuses, so that he could actually earn more on this new deal than he is set on earning on his current one.
Busquet’s feelings towards the whole thing are unclear and he is not expected to think about the proposal until after the European Championships, where he has helped lead Spain to a quarter-final with Switzerland on Friday.
Ronald Koeman sees Busquets as an important player / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Barcelona are optimistic that Busquets will agree. They still see the veteran midfielder as an important part of the team and hope that his character means that he will be able to continue playing as he ages.
He managed 50 games in all competitions last season and missed only two league games through injury or suspension. Only four outfielders managed more minutes than him – Frenkie de Jong, Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
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