Sergi Roberto becomes a free agent as his Como future remains unsettled

Sergi Roberto, one of the first signings Cesc Fabregas brought to Como as part of the club’s rise in northern Italy, is now out of contract and officially a free agent. After leaving the Barcelona youth system and spending his entire career there, the Spanish midfielder has made 37 appearances for Como over the past two seasons, including 24 this season, when he scored once and did not record an assist. He played a central role in Como’s success, which ended with a historic qualification for the Champions League.

On Wednesday, Italian journalist Nicolò Schira reported that Roberto and Como are in talks over a contract extension, but no agreement has been reached. According to the report, there are growing voices suggesting that the 34-year-old may move on to the next stage of his career, and some are even mentioning retirement.

Roberto is currently in Israel with his wife, Israeli model Coral Simanovich, and is staying fit despite the security situation. This morning, Eran Zahavi posted an Instagram story showing him playing padel with Roberto and Eliran Atar, while Roberto himself has been sharing training, running and strength-work posts from Tel Aviv’s promenade.

Because of his relationship with Simanovich, Roberto has warm ties to Israel and has spent the current summer break there. He has also previously posted video messages congratulating hostages who returned from Hamas captivity, despite the possibility of criticism. Even so, a move to a major Israeli club would be difficult, because his reported salary is about 2.2 million euros per season, far above the wages paid in the Israeli Premier League.