Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has refused to extend his stay at the Catalan club in order to experience new cultures.
The Spanish custodian has been at the club since he was a 10-year-old kid. He has been a constant in the team since being promoted to the first team squad in 2002-03 season. In his 349 appearances for first team, Valdes as already won five La Liga and three Champions League titles, so perhaps it isn’t a surprise that he has decided to move on to newer challenges at this point of his career.
The 31-year-old’s current contract at the club will expire in 2014 and his representatives have informed the club officials that Valdes is unwilling to sign an extension.
Gines Carvajal, Valdes’ representative, has revealed the Spain international’s decision to quit the club in a statement given to a Spanish national news agency. Carvajal was quoted in press
‘The agents of Victor Valdes have communicated to Barcelona in a meeting held this afternoon the irrevocable decision of the player to not renew his contract.’
Victor Valdes’ decision has fuelled speculations of him moving to Bayern Munich next season as his former manager Pep Guardiola takes over the reign at the German club. But this rumour seems to be baseless as Valdes would surely not want to play second fiddle to Manuel Neuer at this point of his career.
The Spaniard has also been linked with a summer move to Liverpool in recent times, in order to replace fellow countrymen Pepe Reina, who has faced in-different form this season at Anfield.
On the other hand, Valdes’ decision has also increased the speculations surrounding David de Gea’s future at Manchester United. The young Spaniard has been linked with the Catalan club and is believed to have been earmarked by Barcelona as the permanent replacement for Valdes.
It would be interesting to see what the future holds for Victor Valdes. The Spaniard, despite winning nearly everything the game has to offer with Barcelona and his national side, has often been criticized by both the fans and the critics and was often considered as the weakest link in the formidable Barcelona line-up.
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