Barcelona make firm statement on Deco exit rumours

Barcelona have moved to reject rumours of Sporting Director Deco potentially leaving the club in the coming months.

The former midfielder has become a crucial figure at the club over the last 12 months playing his part in transfer negotiations and overall club policy.

His return to Barcelona spelled the end of Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany's roles in Catalonia with the ex-Portugal international forced to work within a restricted budget.

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However, despite the often chaotic environment, Deco has worked to bring in new players and offload squad stars to free up salary space for fresh arrivals.

His work in Spain has caught the eye of other European clubs, with Manchester United linked with an approach for his services, but Barcelona have made their stance clear.

The club took the slightly unorthodox move to declare their commitment over retaining Deco - akin to a player transfer denial - as they look ahead to a busy season of La Liga and UEFA Champions League action.

"FC Barcelona categorically denies information that appeared the September 1 digital version of Diario Sport where the continuity of our football director is questioned", the statement inferred .

"Under the headline “Deco, disappointed, meditates on his future”, FC Barcelona’s response could not be more energetic regarding the high degree of satisfaction it has for Deco’s work and rejects this report with the transfer market recently over."