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Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona when his contract expires this summer, the club announced on Wednesday, bringing to an end a spell that has seen him win eight LaLiga titles and three Champions Leagues.
Busquets, 34, had an offer to extend his stay at Spotify Camp Nou, with Barca coach Xavi Hernandez expressing his desire for the club captain to remain at the club.
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However, after 18 years at the Catalan club — and 15 in the first team — Busquets has decided to spend the final years of his playing career elsewhere.
Busquets has not yet confirmed his next move, but ESPN revealed in January he has a lucrative offer on the table to join a club in Saudi Arabia.
He has also previously expressed an interest in playing in Major League Soccer, with Inter Miami one of the sides he name-checked.
Former Barca teammate Lionel Messi, now at Paris Saint-Germain, has also been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Miami with Busquets, although the forward’s father denied on Tuesday that any decision will be made until the end of the domestic season in Europe.
🥺 A Barça legend says goodbye. #5ergioUnic pic.twitter.com/SWlDN2GtA2
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 10, 2023
Messi (778) and Barca boss Xavi (767) are the only two players to have played more games for the Blaugrana than Busquets, who will leave the club as their third-highest appearance maker.
Busquets has made 719 appearances to date and, if he plays in the final five league games of the season, could stretch that number to 724 before he leaves.
During that time he has won 31 trophies, including eight LaLiga titles and three Champions Leagues, and is likely to win one more before his contract officially expires on June 30.
Barca can win LaLiga on Sunday for the first time since 2019 if they secure away victory at local rivals Espanyol.
Busquets has also won a World Cup and a European Championship with Spain but, after winning 143 caps, announced his retirement from international football after last year’s World Cup in Qatar.