Barcelona reject Manchester United's bid for Sergi Roberto, prepare new deal to increase €40m clause

Roberto is set to be deployed in his preferred midfield after two seasons at right-back.

Barcelona are preparing a new deal for Sergi Roberto after rejecting Manchester United's £36.1m ($47m) bid for the midfielder and insisting that he is not for sale.

The Spain international has a €40m release clause in his current contract that runs until the summer of 2019 but the Catalan club are said to be confident of retaining him despite interested clubs willing to meet his exit clause.

Barcelona were powerless to stop Neymar joining Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222m (£198m) deal after they agreed to meet his release clause and are not keen to allow yet another first-team player to leave the club this summer.

Interested clubs can avoid negotiations with the Catalan giants if they meet Roberto's clause but according to ESPN, Roberto's camp have informed the club that the midfielder has no intention of leaving at the moment and Barcelona are said to be readying a new deal which will see his release clause increase substantially.

The 25-year-old is a product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and even though he is primarily a midfielder, he has been used as a right-back in the last two seasons. The 25-year-old made 47 appearances across all competitions last season and contributed with six assists despite playing in an unfamiliar role.

After establishing himself at right-back under former manager Luis Enrique in the last two seasons, the Spain international has been utilised in midfield during the recent pre-season games by current manager Ernesto Valverde. Roberto will be hoping to challenge current regulars Sergio Busquets, Andre Gomez, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta for a starting berth.

Apart from United, Chelsea are also said to be monitoring his situation with Antonio Conte seeking a midfielder to fill the void left by Nemanja Matic's departure to United earlier in the transfer window. The Blues have brought in Tiemoue Bakayoko, but the Italian coach wants further reinforcements as they prepare to challenge on four fronts – Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and the EFL Cup – in the upcoming campaign.