Hansi Flick has reportedly emerged as a top contender to take over the reins from Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, who may leave the club at the end of the season. The Spanish giants might not have made any official announcement. But according to several reports, they have already begun the hunt for a viable replacement for Xavi. The former Spanish midfielder drew the ire of the Barcelona hierarchy after making a bold statement regarding the club’s financial status a few days ago. An ESPN report claims that the Catalan side will make its final decision next week after club president Joan Laporta joins Xavi at an internal meeting.
The outlet earlier reported that the club’s sporting director Deco and football coordinator Bojan recently jetted off to England. During the work trip, they met Hansi Flick and his agent in London, as per the Spanish media. ESPN could not confirm the details of the face-to-face meeting. But some sources told it that Barcelona were considering Flick as one of “the most serious options” to replace Xavi at the helm.
Apart from the German manager, Barcelona’s second-team coach Rafael Marquez, former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi have reportedly been in the race to take over the managerial hot seat at the Barcelona dugout. Tuchel has been without a job since announcing his departure from Bayern Munich in March. Meanwhile, Marquez’s present contract with Barcelona Athletic is scheduled to expire on June 30.
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Back in 2021, Barcelona reportedly approached Hansi Flick to find out his availability. The La Liga club wanted him to succeed Ronald Koeman. Flick, however, had already committed to the German national team and the deal couldn’t be completed. Barcelona then decided to continue with Koeman.
With Flick sitting idle at present, Barcelona can now make the most out of this opportunity. The good relationship between Joan Laporta and Flick’s agent Pini Zahavi can also get the job done this time. Zahavi has previously worked with Barcelona, bringing Robert Lewandowski to the club.
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As far as Xavi’s future at the club is concerned, the ex-Barcelona player has not been informed anything yet, ESPN reports. According to some sources, there may have been a possibility for Xavi to ask the club to pay for the remaining year of his contract if he doesn’t stay further.
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