Barcelona offer Sergi Roberto new contract
Barcelona have offered Sergi Roberto the chance to renew his contract until June 2019. It is a show of confidence form the club in the young central midfielder, who it is hoped will have an important role to play off the bench this coming season under Luis Enrique.
However, it is unlikely the contract will be finalised until Barca sort out some more pressing matters - such as incoming and outgoing players.
Roberto's current contract is due to expire in 2015 and the club are keen for him to remain at Camp Nou for another five years, believing that he has a bright future in blaugrana. And it is expected that the youngster will get more minutes under Enrique than he did under Gerardo Martino.
With the Argentine in charge he featured in 27 of 59 official games (45.7%), but he only actually participated in 939 minutes (an average of 38.6 for each appearance). They are numbers which haven't yet allowed him to shine.
Enrique gave a 17-year-old Roberto his Barca B debut (against Gava in the 2009-10 season) in Segunda Division B. Although his best years did come after Enrique had left the bench. Impressed by his ability, Josep Guardiola gave the player his first outing in the first team.
As of now, only three players have contracts until 2019: Gerard Pique, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Ivan Rakitic. Javier Mascherano signed a new deal until 2018, with the option to include another year.
Since 2006
Sergi Roberto arrived at the club in 2006 and was placed in Victor Sanchez's Cadete B side. The following season, he continued with the same manager, albeit in Cadete A. Over the course of the next few seasons he progressed through Juvenil B, Juvenil A and Barca B.
In 2010-11 he debuted under Guardiola. On January 10, 2010 he played in a 5-1 win against Cueta at Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey. He was just 18. He continued to alternate between the two sides - playing nine first team games in 2012-13 - before being promoted to the first team permanently for the 2013-14 season.
He has won leagues with Cadete B, Cadete A, Juvenil B, Juvenil A and he was also part of the B team's promotion to the Segunda Division. As a first team player he has won the Spanish Supercopa and has also participated in two Ligas, one Champions League and one Copa.
