Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu yet to decide on £10.5m return to Barcelona

Gerard Deulofeu has claimed that he is yet to decide where he will play next season amid suggestions that Barcelona want to re-sign him from Everton.

The 23-year-old was once considered as the next big thing to emerge from the prolific Barcelona academy after impressing in the youth ranks of the club and with the national team. The pacy winger won two consecutive Under-19 European Championships in 2011 and 2012 before enjoying an outstanding 2012-13 campaign with the Barcelona B team, scoring 18 goals in the second division of Spanish football.

However, the Spaniard failed to make the expected impact during successive loan spells at Everton and Sevilla and in the summer of 2015 Barcelona decided to sell him to the Toffees.

Deulofeu also struggled at Goodison Park but has replicated his best form in Serie A following a January loan move to AC Milan.

In April, Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez suggested that the La Liga giants will consequently try to re-sign him during the coming summer transfer window by triggering a €12m (£10.5m, $13.5m) buy-back clause inserted into his sale to Everton.

However, Deulofeu needs to give his approval to the deal and has now suggested that he is yet to make a decision.

"It is time to think about the national team," Deulofeu said during a press conference with Spain. "It's true that it will be a busy summer but I'm with Spain and it would not be good to talk about the future. As professionals we have to think about the present. If you think beyond that you are wrong.

"We think of Colombia and getting Macedonia. Then we will see what happens with my future. I'm calm. I am going to try to help the national team and then we will have to make the best decision for my future. Maybe I have thought about the future sometimes. Now I am living a good moment and I want to enjoy it, only thinking about the national team."

Nevertheless, Deulofeu knows that his playing time under new Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde could be limited due to the unmovable presence of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the Catalans' attack.