Barcelona have agreed a deal in principle with Sergi Roberto after club confirmed Gerard Pique's extension

Barcelona are looking to tie down their key players to new deals and have followed up their recent agreement with Gerard Pique by agreeing a deal in principle with right-back Sergi Roberto.

The 25-year-old is said to have agreed a deal in principle with the Catalan club and will put pen-to-paper on a contract until the summer of 2022. They have also offered him improved terms as part of the new agreement.

Roberto's deal comes after his fellow defender Pique signed a new deal of a similar length with a release clause of €500m (£441m, $610m), which was announced on Thursday (18 January).

"FC Barcelona and player Gerard Piqué have reached an agreement to renew the player's contract through to 30 June 2022. His buyout clause has been set at 500m euros," the club confirmed through an official statement.

"In the coming days the club will announce the date of the official signing of the new contract, which will keep the La Masia product at FC Barcelona for the rest of the current season and for the next 4 years."

According to Spanish publication Sport, Oscar Grau, the Spanish club's CEO and sporting director Pep Segura negotiated the deal on behalf of the club with the player's agent Josep Maria Orobitg. The report claims that the release clause for the player is yet to be decided as both parties were unable to reach an agreement. It is expected to be between €100 and €200m. Roberto's current deal expires in 2019 and he has a release clause of €40m.

The Barcelona defender, who can also play in midfield, was linked with a move away from the club last summer with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea showing interest in signing him. The report claims that Roberto did consider leaving Camp Nou but has since had a change of heart.

He is now the first choice right-back under Ernesto Valverde having beaten off competition from Aleix Vidal and has made 25 appearances in all competitions thus far this season. A source close to the club revealed that the agreement will be confirmed in the coming days.

"It's a question of days," the source said, as quoted by Sport.