Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto is weighing up his future following the arrival of Paulinho, with Chelsea and Manchester United among the clubs ready to offer him an escape.
The Catalan club reached an agreement to sign former Tottenham flop Paulinho on Monday afternoon after Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande finally accepted their £36.4m bid.
That has increased competition even further for the central midfield role and, according to Mundo Deportivo, left Sergi Roberto considering his options.
The Spaniard played predominantly at right-back last season, where he deputised manfully, though the arrival of Nelson Semedo will limit his chances of lining up there too.
Although Barca count on the 25-year-old and he is seen as a very useful member of the squad by new boss Ernesto Valverde, he believes their summer activity is pushing him out of the club.
And that leaves a host of European giants poised to pay his release clause of €40m (£36.4m) – the exact amount Barca paid to lure Paulinho to the Catalan capital.
It would not be the first time Barcelona has lost one of their players against their will after a buyout clause was activated, having also lost Neymar to PSG after the French giants stumped up £198m.
Premier League rivals Man Utd and Chelsea are both very interested in Sergi Roberto and are willing to pay his release clause, sensing that his desire to remain at Camp Nou has lessened.
His versatility is greatly desired by both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, though AC Milan and Juventus are also ready to compete for his signature if he does decide to leave.
Sergi Roberto is not the only Barca player with offers to consider, with Paulinho’s arrival prompting the club to tell talented youngster Sergi Samper that he no longer has a place at Barcelona and should find a new club.
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