Barcelona reportedly held a meeting with Jordi Alba on Monday to discuss a new contract with him.

According to Marca's Luis F. Rojo, tying Alba down is a "priority" for Barca, who began initial talks with his camp about a new deal for him last year.

Alba, whose contract expires at the end of next season, is said to have surprised the club when he said on Saturday:

"I don't know what the club think of me and it's strange because there's not much more of my contract left. My intentions are to finish my career here, but we'll see as I don't know what their intentions are or when they think it will be convenient to call me."

The comments may have simply been a reminder to Barcelona to pick up the pace, and if that is the case, it seems to have had the desired effect.

The 29-year-old has been at the Camp Nou since 2012 and has been an important contributor in winning four La Liga titles, four Copas del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

A pacey presence out wide, the left-back is known for his marauding and incisive attacking runs, which have yielded eight assists and two goals so far this season.

Squawka's Muhammad Butt and Grup 14's Rafael Hernandez praised him during Barcelona's 5-1 win in October:

Despite his incredible form, Alba was initially snubbed by Spain boss Luis Enrique, but he regained his place in the national side earlier this month, per Tom Allnutt of Agence France-Presse:

For all of his strengths, the Spaniard isn't especially convincing when it comes to the defensive side of the game, as ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan noted:

Nevertheless, he has repeatedly shown himself to be a valuable asset to the Blaugrana, so it's a good idea for them to secure his future sooner rather than later.

With his willingness to stay and the club spurred into action, it's likely they'll be able to come to an agreement in the near future.