Sergio Busquets has revealed that he will only be tempted away from Barcelona by Pep Guardiola, or if his wife were to ever change her mind about living in Barcelona. The Spanish defensive midfielder has been one of Barcelona’s pivotal players in Luis Enrique’s all-conquering side but is set to spark off rumours of a move to Manchester City with his comments.
Busquets made the comments in a televised interview with ESPN, saying: “I have always said there are just two persons who could make me change my decision to stay at Barcelona.
“One of those two persons is my wife. And she is happy here right now, so I don't think there will be any issues on a personal level.”
While Busquets hinted at the domestic bliss he enjoys, he is bound to have set Mancunian hearts aflutter with his next comment, saying: “On a sporting level, that other person is Guardiola. It's clear that I owe Pep a lot and I would be honoured to work with him again.”
It is a big statement to make with Pep Guardiola’s impending arrival at Manchester City having already been announced. Busquets however, has a contract with Barcelona until June 2019, and City will need to provide the Catalan giants with a bountiful fee if they are to prise the Spaniard away from the Camp Nou.
Busquets owes his career to Guardiola
If the move to Manchester City does happen, Busquets will be reuniting with a manager who moulded him right from a young age into arguably the world’s best defensive midfielder right now. However, Busquets voiced that his first priority is to stay and finish his career in Barcelona.
“He [Guardiola] knows that this is my club and the best thing for me and the club is that I’m here and I would never ask to go.”
In a Barcelona side containing the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta, it is perhaps difficult for Busquets to occupy the spotlight, but the Spaniard has another aim in mind to establish his legacy.
“I hope when I finish my career I go down in history as a good team player, who has won titles and has excelled, being one of the players who has played the most games for Barcelona.”
However, with Manchester City reportedly readying a whopping £150 million bid for him and Neymar, Barcelona might be tempted to extinguish Busquets dream, as they could be required to offload players to meet their salary cap.
