Barcelona prepare two-year offer for £21.4m-rated midfielder, agreement expected

Barcelona will approach senior players to take pay cuts to help the club cut its wage bill

Barcelona have decided to retain the services of versatile player Sergi Roberto after initially putting him on the transfer list this summer. The Catalan club are expected to offer him a new deal that will see him remain at the Camp Nou at least until 2024.

The La Liga giants are struggling financially and are deep in debt. Joan Laporta is desperate to cut the club's wage bill and has put a number of first-team players up for sale and Roberto was one among them until recently.

The Spain international has just 12 months remaining on his current deal. Barcelona were hoping to offload Roberto but failed to attract any bids for the player valued at €25 million (£21.4m). The 29-year-old was also not keen to leave his boyhood club after having come through the ranks.

According to Spanish publication Sport, the Catalan club have changed their mind and will offer Roberto a new two-year deal. Moreover, the versatile right-sided player has agreed to take a pay cut, which will aid in the club's ongoing fight to reduce expenditure.

Roberto was initially offered a one-year extension to his current deal, but refused the offer. He is now willing to sign the new offer on the table and will continue fighting for his place under Ronald Koeman.

The 29-year-old was linked with Manchester City earlier in the summer. Barcelona in turn, were linked to Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo from Pep Guardiola's team and were hoping to include Roberto as part of the deal but it was rejected by the Premier League club.

More recently, Roberto was linked with a move to Serie A champions Inter Milan. The Italian club are looking for a replacement for right-back Achraf Hakimi, who completed a move to Ligue 1 club Paris-Saint Germain on Tuesday.

However, with Roberto now expected to stay in Barcelona this summer, the Italians have begun to look elsewhere for Hakimi's replacement. Arsenal's Hector Bellerin remains an option and they are said to have held talks over a potential move.