A number of Barça players are now in talks with the club for a contract extension, but each person's situation is different. High-potential youngsters like Araujo and Garvey, who come from La Masia, are highly regarded by Barca's top brass and are working hard to push for an agreement on a contract extension. As for Dembele, who was introduced at a high price by the previous chairman, the new top brass led by Laporta has a clear position, only accepting a reasonable price extension and will not blindly obey.
When dealing with the renewal of Roberto's club's old staff, Barca's top brass is much more sluggish, and even gives people an unkind feeling.
In an interview, Laporta said that Barca offered Roberto three contract extensions before and after, but all of them were rejected by the players. This remark undoubtedly put the blame on Roberto, creating the impression that the club is trying to retain, while the players are raising their own value and deliberately making things difficult. But Roberto's agent immediately refuted LaPorta's remarks, saying that Barca had only made one offer and that the annual salary was low.
How low is it? Earlier, journalist Joan Fontes gave the answer. According to the reporter, Barca director Alemani offered Roberto an annual salary of 2 million euros, and said that this was the highest price that Barca could offer.
2 million? There is no doubt that many fans reacted greatly to seeing such an offer. They see it as an "insulting offer" for an old man from La Masia who has played in the Barca first team for 12 seasons.
Indeed, Barca offered new signings around 6 million contracts, and the opening price for young players to renew their contracts reached around 5 million. Roberto was a hero of the club's glory days, and has repeatedly stepped forward to save the team in difficult situations. For the 30-year-old, this is likely to be the last contract of his career. 2 million? This is indeed "pitifully low" for European football, which generally earns hundreds or tens of millions of dollars a year.
But from another point of view, from Barca's standpoint, this offer has been done to the fullest.
There is no doubt that Roberto has done a great job for Barca, but Barca have already given him a salary that matches his ability and positioning. At present, Roberto's annual salary in Barcelona is 12 million, and it is no exaggeration to say that only Barca will give him an annual salary of more than 10 million. Therefore, in terms of salary and treatment, Barca has not treated Roberto badly in the past, or even treated it kindly.
But Roberto at his peak was not a top player, at best he was just a "golden oil" positioning. Long-term cameo at right-back, occasionally participating in midfield rotations. But in recent seasons, his level has dropped significantly, and he has become a dispensable player.
At present, Barca's midfield is basically 1 old with 4 small. Busquets is still indispensable, De Jong and Pedri have been able to pick the big beams, and Garvey and Nico are always on the bench. Coupled with the recent appointment of quasi-free agent Casey, where is Roberto's place? At right-back, Alves is getting older, Dest is getting better, and Araujo can also be targeted, and he plays in this position in the Uruguayan national team. Barca will also be exempt from signing Mazlavi this summer, and there is no room for Roberto's cameo.
To be honest, Roberto's current position is that of a substitute who has passed the age and is a substitute with very limited opportunities to play. That is, Roberto wants to stay at Barca, and the club's top brass responded appropriately to this loyalty. Otherwise, Barca could have let him leave the team when his contract expired, just to make room for salary.
2 million, which is also equivalent to barca's top brass making their position clear. It's okay to stay in the team, but the highest offer is only that much. If Roberto feels dissatisfied, he could have left the team on free after the end of the season to chase a contract that was much higher than Barca's offer. It's a mutual fulfillment and the best ending.