Sergi Roberto Contract Impasse Prompts Manchester United, Chelsea Rumours

Sergi Roberto's contract situation at Barcelona has reportedly piqued interest in the player from Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness), the aforementioned sides have been "awakened" by Barcelona's struggles to agree an extension with their academy graduate. It's also noted the player's agent, Josep Maria Orobitg, will be in Manchester until Friday.

Sport Witness noted that the 25-year-old has a €40 million (£35 million) buyout clause in his deal, and that amount may be deemed value for money for a footballer of Roberto's quality. Barca are said to be keen to increase the trigger amount to a whopping €400 million (£350 million).

As Sport noted earlier in the campaign, Roberto has one of the lowest buyout clauses among Barcelona's first-team players (h/t Sport Witness):

The delay in a new deal's agreement is reported to be due to a disparity in wage expectations.

Having emerged through La Masia and become a member of the first-team squad, Barcelona would be disappointed to lose him.

While he's not a guaranteed starter, he's showcased his value on a number of different occasions—most notably when he netted the decisive goal in the famous 6-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round-of-16 second leg last season.

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Roberto's influence is a little more understated than that, although he has proved he can do a brilliant job for the team in a number of different positions.

Last season, following Dani Alves' departure, Roberto was utilised as a right-back and enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign. There have also been times this term when he has featured on the right side of midfield.

However, he is at his best when deployed in the middle of the pitch. From there, Roberto can put his dynamism to use, as he wins tackles, surges forward and is relentless in his attempts to prise open defences.

While he may not be the most glamorous player in the Barca squad, the supporters will not want to lose Roberto. And as Spanish football journalist Samuel Marsden relayed, the 25-year-old did assure fans he would renew his deal soon:

Still, clubs like United, Chelsea and Juventus could be keen to capitalise if this impasse lingers.

After all, the fee needed to get Roberto out of the Camp Nou is not a large amount in the modern game, when players with far less quality trade hands for around the same price. Roberto is experienced, versatile, technically strong and approaching the peak years of his playing career.

Barcelona fans are unlikely to be too concerned, as Roberto's affinity with the club will surely be enough to keep him around for a while yet. But if one of the trio of European giants linked were to step up their interest, there may be a temptation to try his hand elsewhere.