Barcelona have announced Sergi Roberto has agreed a contract extension running until June 2022 with a new buyout clause of €500m (£442.6m).
Roberto has established himself as a key player for Barcelona since the start of last season and his performances even attracted Premier League interest during the summer.
The 26-year-old’s previous contract constrained a measly €40m (£35.4m) release clause and there was strong interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
“I want to thank Sergi,” ESPN quote Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu as saying at a news conference on Thursday. “He has had and will have a lot of better offers, but he’s decided to stay at Barca. That is his home.”
“I always had it in my mind that I wanted to stay here at Barcelona,” Roberto added. “I’ve been a Barca supporter since I was a kid. I have been here for 12 years. There was interest from other clubs, but I want to stay here. Until 2022. And if it’s longer than that, even better.”
Sergi Roberto: Has completed more dribbles (42) than any other defender in La Liga this season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 22, 2018
For more player stats -- https://t.co/KVWISASkdl https://t.co/16beX1IOtw
The arrival of Nelson Semedo from Benfica over the summer may have convinced Roberto to consider his future at Barcelona but the Spain international is still a key first-team player under Ernesto Valverde.
Roberto has played a direct hand in seven goals from 20 league games this season, while also completing more dribbles than any other La Liga defender (42).