Barcelona reopen Abidal contract talks

Barcelona have reopened negotiations with left-back Eric Abidal over a contract extension, the Spanish club's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said on Tuesday. The French international defender was in the form of his life before a tumour was discovered on his liver in March. However, after undergoing surgery, he made a rapid recovery, and after returning to action on May 3 he also appeared in Barca's Champions League final win over Manchester United at Wembley. Now, with the player having just one year remaining on his current contract, Barcelona are keen to secure the 32-year-old's future. "We made Abidal the offer of a new contract before his illness," said Zubizarreta during a press conference. "Discussions have started again and we will try to come to an agreement." "It will take time but we hope that we can conclude a deal and make an announcement soon." Reports in the Spanish press claim that Barca had initially offered Abidal the two-year deal that he wanted before withdrawing it and coming back with a proposal to give the former Lyon man a rolling one-year contract instead. "Eric has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to stay at Barcelona and finish his career at the club," the player's agent David Venditelli told Catalan television station TV3 last month.