Speculation had been abound in recent weeks that the Catalan-born player may have seeking a move away from the Camp Nou after the parties could not agree terms on his bumper new contract.

Italian giants Juventus and even arch-rivals Real Madrid were purported to be interested in securing the 20-year old's services, but after months of debating, Busquets has finally penned a four-year contract extension, with a massive buy-out clause of 80m Euros inserted to ward off potential suitors.

Coach Pep Guardiola moved to ensure that the player could not leave for nothing when his contract expires in January, but Busquets himself has ensured the Barcelona faithful that there was no danger of him playing his football anywhere else.

He told journalists, " I'm very happy, this is something I have dreamed of since I was small. There have been some difficult circumstances that have occurred.

"But I made the first team squad in pre-season, and the manager has given me many minutes and I took advantage of my chance."

Laporta Praise

Club chairman Joan Laporta shared his delight that he had finally managed to tie the starlet into a long-term deal, and stated that the fairy-tale story of Busquets' rise from the third team into a first-team regular is representative of the values and philosophies of the club.

He beamed, " He has consolidated his efforts towards providing a high level of quality that is very important.

"This helps the sustainability and viability of Barcelona - we enjoy more success when we have a large squad of talented players to choose from."

Barcelona sealed a 2-1 win away to Villarreal on Sunday evening to move ten points clear in the Primera Division table.

Paul Macdonald