Barcelona legend Xavi has confirmed he held talks with the club and has said it is his “dream” to take charge at the Camp Nou. The Catalan club is expecting their former midfielder to respond to a proposal they’ve put to him by Sunday at the latest.
Xavi, who is the head coach of Al Sadd, has been heavily linked with the role, with Ernesto Valverde, coming under increased pressure after getting knocked out of the Spanish Super Cup by Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
Al Sadd beat Al Rayyan on Saturday to progress to the final of the Qatar Crown Prince Cup and he spoke to the media afterward.
“I can’t deny that my dream is to coach Barcelona,” Xavi said after leading his side to the Qatari cup final. I’ve said it so many times, in a lot of interviews. Everyone knows that I’m a Barcelona fan, the club are in my heart and my dreams. But for now, I’m focused on Al-Sadd.“
Eric Abidal and Oscar Grau met with Xavi on Friday and watched Al-Sadd’s semi-final win on Saturday.
“Abidal is my friend,” Xavi stated, “I’ve met with him a lot of times. I’m doing my job here. I’ve been focussing on the semi-final and now I’m thinking about the final. I’m very happy to be coaching Al-Sadd and I respect this club a lot. I can’t say anything else.“
