The three Barça captains have enough short-term football arguments to hold on to their place in the starting XI, but Xavi, despite the competitive urgency after a turbulent season and who has finished with the team offside in all competitions, try to build a project in the medium and long term. That is why the Egarenc coach has had a conversation with Gerard Piqué to tell him that, at 35 years old and the physical problems he has had, he cannot continue to play a leading role in his team. The journalist Marçal Llorente had published on social media this Monday that the Egarenc does not have him, but, as ARA has been able to confirm, what Xavi has conveyed to him is that he will no longer play a prominent role because his bet passes to give more prominence to Ronald Araujo, recently renewed, Eric Garcia and 26-year-old Danish center Andreas Christensen, who will arrive free from Chelsea (although there is no room to sign him right now).
In addition, the club continues to probe the market to strengthen the defense, and the Senegalese center of origin of Naples Kalidou Koulibaly and the defender of the Athletic Club Íñigo Martínez are two options that are on the table. The repeated problems with the injuries (and the doubts that arise from them), added to his hectic extra-sports life, are handicaps that also make Piqué doomed to lose his role as a mainstay of the defense. From the captain’s side, they assure ARA that what Xavi has conveyed to him is that the flight is “100% committed” and that “Barça must be his priority”. Some goals that Piqué has accepted. Bonanova’s defender believes that the time has not yet come to leave and that his performance, when the injuries have not made him happy, has continued to be good.
Another issue is to agree on a reduction in the salary and the millionaire amounts that Piqué has yet to receive, which exceed the 50 million euros to be paid in the next two seasons. Despite the fact that the coach has, in a way, opened the door for him, from Barça’s noble offices they see it as very difficult for the center-back to step aside and admit that the emoluments he has agreed on – and, to a large extent, are deferred – they draw a scenario in which Piqué will continue to be a Barça player. The player’s representatives – who are the same as Xavi’s – will have to meet with the club soon to address this issue.
Deferrals, a headache
Continuing to defer millionaire payments (and generate debt) is no longer considered a valid solution and, in fact, economic vice president Eduard Romeu has stated in an interview on the portal Goal who want to “kill the deferrals.” The effort the club wants to ask of the captains is for them to agree to forgive some of the money owed to them. A communication, however, that has not yet been officially transmitted to them. Recently, both Busquets and Alba have publicly stated that, if this is the case, they would rather find out directly from the club and not find out from the press. As this newspaper has learned, the club met today with the representatives of Busquets (who also have other Barça players in their portfolio), but the issue of a salary reduction has not been addressed. From the surroundings of Alba they prefer not to comment on it.
The case of the fourth captain, Sergi Roberto, is a separate chapter. He has agreed to renew a season for less than half of what he earned, driven by the fact that he knows that Xavi has him to develop a role as a right winger similar to that of Dani Alves.
