Barcelona starlet Carles Aleña signs new deal at La Liga giants with £68.7m release clause

Barcelona academy prospect Carles Aleña has agreed a new three-year deal at the Nou Camp which will be extended by a further two years if he establishes himself in the Catalan's first-team. Tottenham Hotspur were linked with the Spaniard during the recent summer transfer window but the talented midfielder has decided instead to commit his long-term future to his childhood side.

The 19-year-old playmaker made an impressive first-team debut under Luis Enrique during the 1-1 Copa del Rey draw against Hercules in November 2016, scoring the Catalan's only goal.

The Spain Under-19 international made three further La Liga appearances for the first-team last season while he also helped the reserves gain promotion to the second division of Spanish football.

In June, AS and other Spanish publications reported that Mauricio Pochettino made an attempt to lure him to Tottenham by offering the player an immediate place in the Spurs first-team.

But Barcelona quickly reacted to those speculations on 28 June when the club announced that they had reached an agreement for Aleña to continue his career at the Nou Camp - having progressed through the different youth ranks of La Masia since the age of eight.

The Spanish starlet has now put pen to paper on that deal, with his release clause set to increase to €75m (£68.7m, $89.6m) if the player is promoted to Ernesto Valverde's first-team.

"FC Barcelona and midfielder Carles Aleñá came to an agreement Tuesday whereby the 19-year-old will extend his deal with the club for a further three years," the club confirmed in its official website.

"The deal also calls for a two-year club option should Aleñá, who currently plays for the reserves, end up making the first team. The buyout clause has been set at €75m."

Aleña's new deal comes only days after president Josep Maria Bartomeu identified the 19-year-old as a potential alternative to Phillipe Coutinho following Barcelona's unsuccessful summer attempts to sign the Liverpool ace.

Asked during an interview with Mundo Deportivo whether Valverde will be missing a playmaker like Marco Verratti or Coutinho, the Barcelona president explained: "It has been identified that the team already have players of that profile and that there are players from the academy ready for it. An example is Carles Aleña. It has been considered that the best option is to bet on home-grown players due to the [high] prices to bring players from other clubs."

Barcelona will now be hoping Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta follow in Aleña's footsteps in the near future with the contracts of both key players set to expire at the end of the season.