Reports in England this week claim that Liverpool and Tottenham are pursuing Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto. Wrestling the Catalan from his club's grasp could be difficult however, and even more so with Manchester City, Real Madrid and AC Milan said to be keeping tabs on him. talkSPORT's Transfer Spotlight has more...
Name: Sergi Roberto
Date of birth: February 7, 1992
Birthplace: Reus, Spain
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
International appearances: 8 (Spain U21) / 2 (Catalonia)
Honours: Copa del Rey (2011/12), Supercopa de Espana (2013)
What's the latest?
Sergi Roberto has been earmarked as the future of the Barcelona midfield for some years now, and the youngster's path to the first team seemed to be even clearer when Thiago Alcantara made an unexpected exit from the Catalan side last summer. Things haven't been so easy for Roberto however, and he isn't playing as much as he would like to this season. Regardless, agent Josep Maria Orobitg has made it clear that his future is in the hands of the club, and it is highly unlikely that Barca would sanction a sale. There could be some hope for Liverpool or Tottenham if they are willing to take a leaf out of Everton's book and attempt a loan move however, as Gerard Deulofeu, a player of similar stature from the Barcelona youth set up, is currently at Goodison Park temporarily.
Did you know?
1) Roberto started out with Nastic de Tarragona, a side based near his hometown of Reus that had a recent spell in the Spanish top flight. He joined Barcelona's academy as a 14-year-old in 2004.
2) In the 2009/10 season he made his debut with Barcelona's B team in the Spanish third division at the age of 17. He went on to play 23 games for Luis Enrique's side that year, helping them to achieve promotion to the second tier.
3) With Thiago's permanent promotion to the Barcelona first team, Roberto became the playmaker of choice at Barcelona B, donning the number 10 shirt. His tendency to make bursting runs into the box led to comparisons with Cesc Fabregas.
4) The youngster's first taste of senior Barcelona action came in the 2010/11 pre-season, when he made his unofficial debut. His official debut came in a Copa del Rey clash against Cueta in November 2010, while most notably, his Champions League debut came in a 2-0 semi-final away win against Real Madrid in 2011.
5) In this year's pre-season he was officially promoted to the first team, and has since made three appearances for Barca in La Liga. He has often missed out on a place in matchday squads, however.
They say
"All of the Barcelona coaches and sporting directors that have observed Roberto's progress believe he is one of the players destined to make the first team. His agent constantly reiterates that he has a contract until 2015 and a €20m buyout clause. Roberto wants to play with Barca, but he also wants to play, and isn't." Mundo Deportivo on Roberto's situation.
Source: talkSPORT
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