McLaren's racing director Eric Boullier has confirmed that they are in direct talks with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso about the Spaniard's return to the team.

Alonso was originally linked with a move to Honda, as the Japanese manufacturer are set to renew their partnership with McLaren, but Boullier confirmed that the Alonso discussions are with McLaren.

"It's McLaren. Obviously the official competitor in the entry with the FIA is McLaren. McLaren is the contracting party with the drivers, nobody else," Boullier told Sky Sports News.

"The only thing I can say is that preparing a winning team is not going to take a couple of months, or a couple of years maybe, and we want to win as long as possible.

"We already planned the driver lineup - or the strategy for the company - in two years' time, in four years' time and in six years' time and this is why it takes so long because we want to be ready at the right time with the right drivers."

Alonso's reported return to McLaren could see Jenson Button head for the exit, ending a spell of four years with the team.