Munir El Haddadi’s future at Barcelona has taken a fresh twist amid reports that head coach Ernesto Valverde has surprisingly decided to retain his services and cash in on €30 million-rated (Dh128.6m) forward Paco Alcacer.

El Haddadi, 22, has spent the last two seasons on loan at Valencia and Alaves. He had been expected to pursue another move away this summer, but the La Liga champions are out to convince him to stay put.

SPORT have stated that Valverde has been impressed with the one-times-capped Spain attacker in pre-season training. When allied with a change in stance on Alcacer’s future and a new willingness to generate funds with his sale, this could lead to El Haddadi rejecting a temporary switch to Sevilla.

El Haddadi has scored four times in 26 La Liga run-outs for Barca since his debut in August 2014.