On Saturday night, reports emerged claiming that Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets had not yet made a decision with regard to his future and considering the possibility of renewing his contract at the club, but an exit from Camp Nou in January was off the table.
And, according to the latest reports from Mundo Deportivo, Busquets has indeed decided to part ways with Barcelona after 15 seasons with the first-team setup.
The 34-year-old’s contract with the Blaugrana expires at the end of the ongoing campaign. And, while it has been maintained for a while that he was unlikely to renew, doubts had emerged of late due to manager Xavi Hernandez’s insistence on keeping hold of him.
Indeed, the 42-year-old tactician wanted Busquets to hang around at Camp Nou for another year and club director Jordi Cruyff also seemed receptive to such an idea.
It led to Busquets considering the possibility of penning a renewal and staying put at his boyhood club beyond the ongoing campaign.
The report suggests that Barça’s sports management staff spoke to the club captain’s agent as recently as two weeks ago to discuss a possible renewal at the insistence of Xavi.
However, the 34-year-old has given serious thought about his future in the break following Spain’s World Cup exit and has arrived at two decisions – the first one of which was to announce his international retirement, which he did earlier this week.
And as for the second decision, Busquets has arrived at the conclusion to separate ways with Barça after a long and successful journey with the Catalan outfit. The report indicates that an adventure in the United States of America awaits the club captain next.
Inter Miami have been touted as a possible destination for Busquets for a while now and there have been contacts between the two parties over a transfer. Negotiations are expected to continue in the coming weeks, with the midfielder having decided to leave Camp Nou.
The report states that Busquets has a suitor in Europe by joining whom he can continue playing Champions League football. However, it is said that the La Masia graduate fancies a shot at football in the US, where he has good offers, especially from Inter Miami.
It was suggested that Busquets’ decision to move to Inter Miami could be tied with the future of former teammate and PSG superstar Lionel Messi. However, the Argentine appears likely to remain in France for another year but could reunite with the Barcelona captain in the US in 2024.