Barcelona’s Ernesto Valverde insists they are focused on winning the Champions League whilst Philippe Coutinho admits he is anxious to play against PSV.
Sergio Busquets is expected to sign an improved contract at Barcelona with an announcement expected in the coming weeks, sources have told ESPN FC.
Busquets’ deal, signed just two years ago, runs until 2021 and includes a clause which would see it automatically renew until 2023 based on the number of games he plays in the coming years.
However, the club have decided to fast-track the midfielder’s extension to bring him in line with some of the club’s other top earners.
Mundo Deportivo report that talks have been scheduled for next week to finalise the terms, with Diario Sport claiming the wage rise will place him in the category of players behind Lionel Messi.
Barca will also increase Busquets’ release clause, fixed at €200 million, to bring him in line with Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho, who both have €400m buyouts written into their contracts.
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said in a radio interview last week that Busquets’ renewal has already been factored into the club’s accounts for the season.
Bartomeu also confirmed that the club will also sit down with Jordi Alba next to touch base over a new contract.
Busquets, now 30, recently completed a decade in Barcelona’s first team and he is closing in on 500 appearances for the La Liga champions.
The Spain international has always said it “would be a dream” to finish his career at Camp Nou, although he once admitted that Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola could tempt him away.
A new long-term deal with Barca at this stage of his career, though, moves him a step closer to his aim of retiring at the club.
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