Deco to make Barcelona return?

Although the Catalan giants are firmly focused on ensuring that they reclaim the La Liga title, attention is still being played to matters behind the scene.

Barcelona's financial problems have been well documented and it was perceived that the senior figures behind the scenes were fully aligned to resolve those matters.

However, Barcelona announced on Tuesday evening that director of football Mateu Alemany had made the decision to leave Camp Nou, the expectation being that he will move to Aston Villa.

As it stands, Barcelona expect Alemany to fulfil his duties until the end of the summer transfer window, a condition they have seemingly set to facilitate a smoother transition for all parties.

Nevertheless, according to Sport, president Joan Laporta is open to replacing Alemany with Deco, providing that a number of criteria is met in due course.

Deco, a former Barcelona midfielder, is currently an agent and helped facilitate the transfer of Raphinha from Leeds United to Barcelona last summer.

If Deco was to become affiliated with Barcelona in an official capacity, he would be required to end his time as an agent.

The report suggests that the 45-year-old is yet to decide whether he is willing to walk away from such a role with 17 players currently officially on his books.

Deco enjoyed a successful stint with Barcelona as a player, contributing 20 goals and 45 assists from 161 appearances.

Laporta is allegedly keen for a former player to return to the club and Deco is in regular contact with Barcelona officials through being an advisor for the South American market.

In the past, Deco is said to have rejected offers to take on an official role with Barcelona, and it is alleged that a sports coordinator position may be offered to him as an alternative.

That would reportedly see him work with both the first team and reverse team alongside Jordi Cruyff.