Barcelona target confirms new contract talks with Manchester United: “Love this club”

Manchester United right-back and Barcelona target Diogo Dalot has confirmed that he is in talks with the Red Devils to reach an agreement over a new contract.

Speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel (h/t Mundo Deportivo), the Portuguese full-back stressed on the fact that he is happy where he is right now and talks regarding an extension are progressing in a good direction.

Dalot, 23, has established himself as one of the key components of Erik ten Hag’s project at Manchester United. It must be remembered that Dalot’s initial contract with the Premier League side was set to expire in 2023, but the team triggered his one-year extension, meaning that his ongoing deal will now run out in 2024.

Given the situation at hand, Barcelona were reportedly looking to explore the possibility of signing Dalot in order to reinforce the right-back position for the next season. His recent comments, however, will now force the Catalans to look for alternatives.

Speaking about the ongoing negotiations, Dalot said that the talks are extremely positive and he wants to continue at Manchester United.

“We are in a position to say that we are negotiating [my contract] and how both parties will benefit, but it is no secret that I am happy to be here. I love this club, I love to play for this club so we will see how things go,” Dalot told The United Stand channel.

“Progressively we are in a good direction as a team, for me, this is the most important part and hopefully individually I can continue to help the team as I am doing,” he added.

It is believed that the 23-year-old will sign a long-term deal with the Red Devils.

This potentially means Barcelona will now have to look at other options, with Bayern Munich right-back Benjamin Pavard an option. As reported before, the Frenchman has emerged on the shortlist of Xavi as he could be available on a cut-price deal in the summer.