Barcelona's next manager? Ex-Bayern Munich & Germany boss Hansi Flick holds talks with Blaugrana chiefs in London

Posted Thursday, May 23, 2024 by Goal.com

Barcelona chiefs have flown to London to hold talks with former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick about replacing Xavi at the club.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Barcelona sporting director Deco has flown to London with Bojan to meet Flick and his agent Pini Zahavi, according to Sport. The Barca duo will discuss the possibility of Flick replacing Xavi at the helm of the Catalan giants amid speculation he could leave at the end of the season. Xavi announced earlier this year he planned to quit the club but then U-turned on his decision. However, his future at the club is in doubt again after he reportedly annoyed president Joan Laporta with recent comments where he doubted his team's ability to compete with Real Madrid due to their continued financial issues.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Barcelona will end the season without any silverware after another chaotic campaign for the Catalan giants. An intriguing summer awaits with Xavi seemingly on the brink, but Barcelona have little money to spend when it comes to bringing in a new manager or strengthening the squad with new signings. Flick has been linked with a club for some time and famously won the treble at Bayern Munich before moving on to Germany, where he struggled on the international scene and was sacked after managing just 12 wins from 23 games.

WHAT XAVI HAS SAID
Xavi has insisted he will stay on despite the uncertainty over his future and looked ahead to next season after victory over Rayo last time out.

He told reporters: "We didn't do a good season, of course, that is the reality, but at least we competed. We were so close to winning trophies and we will try again next season. And the best news from this season is [the youngsters]: [Pau] Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, when we recover Pedri fully, Hector Fort, Marc Guiu.This generation is the best news from this season."

WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA
Barcelona will finish their La Liga season on Sunday away at Sevilla but have little to play for as second place has already been secured. Xavi's fate is then set to be decided with the coach due to meet Laporta and Deco to decide on whether he will continue for another season and see out his current contract at the club.