Barcelona's Sergi Roberto 'set to join' Leo Messi, Sergio Busquets & Jordi Alba in MLS

Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto celebrate a Barcelona goal against Celta Vigo in 2019.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Barcelona right-back Sergi Roberto is expected to join former team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in Major League Soccer next season.

Roberto, who started out as a midfielder before featuring as a right-back under Luis Enrique and going on to play most of his games for the Catalan club in that role, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

The 31-year-old has spent his entire career at Barcelona and is a Spanish international, but much of that time has been on the fringes and opportunities have been few and far between for the La Masia graduate this term.

Roberto has played in six of Barcelona's games in 2023-24, but has started just two out of 11 in LaLiga and has found himself further down the pecking order since the arrival of Joao Cancelo on loan from Manchester City on deadline day.

The versatile player, who is best remembered at Barcelona for his heroic winner in the extraordinary comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, is now understood to be keen on a move to MLS next summer.

That would see him follow in the footsteps of former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who are all at Inter Miami.

Mundo Deportivo say he has spoken to his former team-mates about the football and life in the United States.

Roberto has a good level of English and has spoken in the past about his love for New York, in particular.

The 31-year-old has played 355 times for Barcelona's first team and has scored 17 goals for the Catalan club.

More Barcelona stories

Who is Lamine Yamal? Everything you need to know about the Barcelona wonderkid after he became the youngest starter in Champions League history.

In the Champions League earlier this month, Yamal's bathroom break left Barcelona a man down for almost 10 minutes against Porto.

David Beckham has opened up on what makes Barcelona legend Lionel Messi so special, saying the Argentine's brain "works in different ways" to other players.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.