Deco contacts Frenkie de Jong's agent to discuss midfielder's future at Barcelona - Reports

Barcelona's sporting director Deco has reportedly commenced talks with midfielder Frenkie de Jong's agent to discuss his future amid reported interest from Manchester United.

The Netherlands international's current contract with the Blaugrana expires in the summer of 2026. SPORT claim that De Jong is in no hurry to enter negotiations over a new contract despite Barcelona wishing to close talks before the end of the year.

When asked about the midfielder's future, Deco said (via Fabrizio Romano):

"I see Frenkie de Jong enjoying his life at Barca. He’s happy here, he’s playing top level football and he feels very good — at the end, it’s always the player deciding. He’s under contract until 2026 and we want him to stay for long time.”

De Jong is seen as an integral part of the La Liga side's set-up, having started six league matches this season before picking up an ankle problem. He has missed his side's last three matches in the Spanish top-tier football competition but could return for the all-important clash against Real Madrid on October 28.

The former Ajax man decided to move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019 for a reported fee of €75million. Since then, he's appeared 190 times for the Spanish giants, bagging 16 goals and 21 assists across all competitions.

Despite the Blaugrana's attempts to sell De Jong to Manchester United two years ago, the player is reportedly happy with his current employers. However, the aforementioned report claims that the possibility of the midfielder declining an extension well and truly remains.

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Barcelona monitoring Manchester City star Julian Alvarez - Reports

Julian Alvarez (via Getty Images)

Barcelona are reportedly keeping tabs on Manchester City star Julian Alvarez. The Argentina international has started the new season well, scoring three goals and assisting four in eight Premier League appearances already.

The 23-year-old is an exciting prospect who joined Pep Guardiola's side in January 2022 from River Plate for a reported fee of £14 million. Since then, he's managed 62 appearances for Manchester City across all competitions, bagging 23 goals and 10 assists.

According to Barca Blaugranes, Alvarez could have a release clause of €50 million in his contract, a sum that is seemingly reasonable for the attacker's services. It will be interesting to see whether the Catalan side pursue their interest in the coming transfer windows.