Barcelona have denied rumours that sporting director Deco could leave the club in the coming months.
The former midfielder has become a crucial figure at the club over the past 12 months, playing his part in transfer negotiations and overall club policy.
His return to Barcelona means the end of Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany’s roles in Catalonia, with the former Portugal international forced to work on a shoestring budget.
However, despite the often chaotic environment, Deco worked to attract new players and shed the team’s stars to free up salary space for new arrivals.
His work in Spain has attracted the attention of other European clubs, with Manchester United linked with an approach for his services, but Barcelona have made their stance clear.
The club have taken the somewhat unorthodox decision to declare their commitment to retaining Deco – akin to a player transfer refusal – as they prepare for a busy La Liga and UEFA Champions League season.
“FC Barcelona categorically denies the information published in the digital version of Diario Sport on September 1, where the continuity of our sporting director is questioned,” the deduced statement.
“Under the title ‘Deco, disappointed, meditates on his future’, the response of FC Barcelona could not be more energetic regarding the high degree of satisfaction it has for Deco’s work and rejects this report when the transfer market has just ended.”
