Jordi Alba willing to take pay cut to stay at Barcelona

The 33-year-old has now entered the final 18 months of his contract with La Blaugrana and has faced stiff competition from Alejandro Balde in the 2022-23 season.

Alba has posted one goal and six assists from 19 outings in all competitions this term, scoring and setting up another goal in last weekend's 3-0 beating of Sevilla.

However, the emergence of Balde has seen Alba make just nine La Liga starts in the 2022-23 campaign, and he was an unused substitute in four Champions League group games.

The Spain international's only European starts came against Viktoria Plzen, and he did not earn a single minute of action against Bayern Munich or Inter Milan in Group C as Barcelona failed to make the knockout rounds.

With Alba due to become a free agent at the end of next season and no longer indispensable on the left-hand side, his future has been called into question over the past few months.

However, the veteran defender has insisted that he has no plans to leave before his contract expires and would happily accept a salary decrease to extend his stay again.

Speaking to the press, as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano, Alba said: "I want to stay at Barcelona and fulfill my contract until June 2024, it's my priority."

"I would lower my salary again if they ask me. I feel good and the day I feel that I'm no longer able to defend a club like Barcelona, I'll be the first to leave."

Alba joined Barcelona from Valencia in a €14m (£12.4m) deal in 2012, and the left-back has since amassed 26 goals and 99 assists in 448 games for La Blaugrana in all competitions.

Alba has collected a total of 17 major honours during his time at Camp Nou, including one Champions League, one Club World Cup, five La Liga titles, five Copa del Reys, four Supercopa de Espanas and one UEFA Super Cup.

As well as Alba, the future of his compatriot Sergio Busquets is also a major talking point, as the 34-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season.

Busquets has been expected to leave as a free agent amid links with a move to MLS, but he is now said to be willing to renew, and president Joan Laporta has admitted that it would be "difficult" to replace the lynchpin.

"For now we are focused on La Liga. Sergio is an important player for us and it'll be difficult for our team's dynamics if he leaves," Laporta told reporters during a press conference.

"When he decides, we'll talk about it. Neither party considers that it's the moment. We had a meeting before Christmas because he had offers from the MLS."

Alba could make his 449th appearance and register his 100th assist for Barcelona when the La Liga leaders take on Villarreal at La Ceramica on Sunday night.