The left-back only has two years left on his current contract, so Barcelona need to address that issue.
Jordi Alba has become a senior member of the squad since joining the club back in 2012, and his runs from deep on the left flank have become a pivotal part of Barcelona’s attacking play. There are few full-backs in world football who can replicate the attacking threat he provides as shown by his three goals and 11 assists from last season; he already has a goal and two assists in three games this season.
Lionel Messi has a seemingly telepathic connection with him when they are in the final third, which has formed through the sheer amount of time they have spent together in matches and on the training pitch. Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are at the start of a promising understanding with the left-back that could turn them into a deadly trio working in tandem down the left flank. The Brazilian has basically replaced Andres Iniesta who effectively worked in sync with the 29-year-old.
Therefore, keeping him at the club must be a priority for the Barcelona board. They are currently in the process of finalising Sergio Busquets’ new contract, which is likely to be officially completed after the international break. Once that is sorted, Alba should be the player they focus on next.
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Six players have contract that expire in the next two years: Thomas Vermaelen, Sergi Samper and Munir El Haddadi in 2019; Rafinha, Alba and Denis Suarez in 2020. None of them are anywhere near as important to the team as Alba. According to Sport, he was promised an extension two years ago, but there haven’t been any negotiations, as of yet, even though he has publicly admitted that he wants to stay at the club until he retires.
Marc Cucurella and Juan Miranda are the only other options for his position at the club currently because Lucas Digne was sold to Everton in the summer. Miranda is the bigger talent of the two, but they both have a lot of potential. Cucurella is currently on loan at Eibar while Miranda is playing for the B team and could be used for some senior matches this season. Neither is likely to be ready to step up and be at the required standard for the the first-team in 2020.
This means that extending Alba’s contract for a few more years would be the right option, so that they have a capable replacement ready when he does move on. Miranda should be able to fill the void that Alba will leave behind if he continues his development at his current rate without issues such as injuries affecting him. However, he’s only 18-years-old, so it’s likely to be four or five years before he’s at that level, and it will be important to ensure that he builds up connections with the attacking players through training and occasional matches in the meantime.