Nobody at the Catalan club is worried by the possible interest of Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain - because the 27-year-old midfielder is going nowhere in the summer
Recognition is finally arriving for Sergio Busquets. The midfielder is in the news after claiming only his wife or Pep Guardiola could make him leave his beloved Barcelona. But fans of the Catalan club can rest easy - because it's not going to happen any time soon.
With Busquets at the centre of their midfield, this Barca side is a well-oiled machine. Without him, however, they can struggle as they did in Sunday's disappointing display at Levante when Luis Enrique had hoped to give him a day off but ended up bringing him on in the second half with the game still in the balance.
"I always said that there are only two people who can change my decision to play for Barcelona," Busquets said in an interview with ESPN earlier this week_._ "One is my wife and the other is Guardiola. It’s clear that I have a big debt with him and it would be an honour to work with him again."
That was enough to cause some alarm bells to ring at Camp Nou and Luis Enrique was asked about the 27-year-old's quotes on Tuesday. "You will have to ask Sergio and Pep, not me," was his reply. "Busi is one of the top midfielders in the world. I won't praise him more. We all know his importance."
FULL STORY | Only Pep could lure me away - Busquets
That importance is sometimes questioned or, at least, understated as Busquets often misses out on lists such as the Ballon d'Or and also the FIFPro XI. "We all agree he has been overlooked," his national coach Vicente del Bosque told Goal recently. "But everyone knows the importance of Sergio for Barcelona and Spain."
That is certainly the case at Camp Nou, where Busquets began his career in 2008 after promotion from Barca B under Guardiola, who preferred the young Catalan to the popular and more experienced Yaya Toure.
Now, of course, Pep is preparing for a new experience next season at Manchester City where Toure looks likely to leave and Busquets has been earmarked as a potential midfield leader at the Etihad.
PSG would also like to sign the World Cup winner. Sources close to the French club have revealed that owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi will set aside €200 million in the summer to bring in two new stars in a bid to place the club at the head of Europe's elite and one of them will almost certainly be a central midfielder as coach Laurent Blanc is keen to replace Thiago Motta (who will be 34 in August) with a top-class performer to operate alongside Marco Verratti.
But Busquets (son of former Barca goalkeeper and Pep team-mate Carles), signed a contract renewal just a year ago and is currently tied to the Catalan club - where he is now the sixth-highest earner with €6m annual wages - until 2019 and has a release clause of €175m. He also feels important and valued by the Blaugrana, having featured more than anyone except Luis Suarez in 2015-16, and has no intention of leaving.
"Pep knows that my club is Barcelona," Busquets also added in the interview in question. "I don't think he'll ask me to work for him."
Indeed, his case is different to that of Thiago, who left Barca to work with his former coach at Bayern Munich due to a lack of first-team opportunities, or even Pep himself, who was criticised by many during his Camp Nou career in what was a difficult period for the Catalan club. Guardiola also had the urge to experience other leagues, but Busquets seems to be happy just where he is.
The player himself has always put the Blaugrana first in the past and is likely to do so again - even if Pep does come calling in the summer.
"I don't see Guardiola as a threat," Luis Enrique said on Tuesday when asked about a possible move for the midfielder from City's next coach. The Barca boss is not worried and he doesn't need to be.
Nor do the fans. Because Busquets is living his dreams at the club he has always supported, the place where he watched his father play as a kid and where he wants to remain for many more years to come. Sergio is staying at Barcelona.
- Goal