Jose Mourinho has made a personal request to Benfica president Rui Costa over a contract renewal for Nicolas Otamendi.

A Bola reported the update, with leading Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo claiming the defender is a target for Barcelona as a depth signing.

The 37-year-old Otamendi becomes a free agent in the summer, but Mourinho and Costa are in agreement that his contract must be renewed beforehand.

Mourinho has repeatedly praised the impact of Otamendi, recently boasting about his ability as a captain.

“I’ve been at clubs where the captain wears the armband but, truly, isn’t one,” he said.

“Here it’s on the arm of someone who truly is a captain, who assumes the role of captain and carries the weight of a captain.”

He earlier commented: “One thing is real age and another is what we see on the field.

“In my case, even in training, there are 20-year-olds who are old players. And old players—I hope you don’t take offense—of 38 or 40 who are young.

“Nico is young. To understand the level of our communication, I said: ‘We have Guimarães and Leverkusen, what do we do tomorrow?’ And he said: ‘We have Guimarães , Leverkusen and Tondela.’ He is a very important player for us. He plays.”