Barcelona prepare contract talks with Spanish defender

Spanish giants Barcelona are reportedly keen to tie down Jordi Alba to a new contract with his existing deal due to expire in the summer of 2020.

The 28-year-old has been with the Blaugrana since 2012 and during his period, he has amassed exactly 250 appearances for the club across all competitions.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the La Liga holders are keen to continue with their recent trend of rewarding players with contract extensions and Alba is among those in line for a renewal.

At present, Alba has just under two years remaining on his existing contract with the club but the hierarchy are said to be eager to tie him down to a fresh deal before the start of 2019.

Over the past year, the likes of Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto and Samuel Umtiti have committed their long-term futures to the club with the latter being the most recent to have signed before the 2018 World Cup.

Aside from Alba, Barcelona are also looking into fresh deals for the likes of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Thomas Vermaelen - all of whom remain valuable performers under manager Ernesto Valverde.