It’s ‘only a matter of time,’ according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano before Xavi Hernandez extends his deal with Barcelona. The Catalans hired the Spanish tactician and their former player in November 2021 to succeed Ronald Koeman, who was sacked. Since then, Xavi has performed admirably for the La Liga heavyweights, helping them win the Spanish Super Cup earlier this year by defeating Real Madrid 3-1.
With 68 points after 26 games, Xavi’s Barcelona are also on track to win La Liga this year, as they sit 12 points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid in second place. With his current contract at the Camp Nou expiring at the end of the upcoming season the Blaugrana are desperate to retain their manager beyond this season.
Barcelona to tie Xavi to new contract with fresh terms after winning La Liga
Barcelona are bound to win the La Liga title this year, which will be their first since the 2018/19 season. They have raced to a 12-point lead over the Los Blancos, who have had to face a defeat against Xavi’s men three times this season in all competitions. The Catalans are also in contention to make it to the Copa del Rey final as they hold a narrow 1-0 lead over the Los Blancos in the semifinals going into the second leg.
However, the club are tackling a lot of issues off the pitch which do not resemble their success on it. The FFP regulations have already tied Barcelona’s hands for the upcoming summer transfer window. As things stand, the club needs to lower their wage bill by a significant €200m if they are to sign new players. Amidst such tight situation in the market, it will come as a encouraging news for their fans to see Xavi extending at the club.
Romano claims that Xavi is anticipated to sign new contract after he steers the club to La Liga title this season. The Italian journalist tweeted:
“Xavi Hernandez will extend his contract with Barcelona, just matter of time. The club have the proposal ready; Xavi wants full focus on the pitch now. Xavi is actively working on the future plans with the board, wants his first Liga title as coach; then he will sign.”
European football is one area where Xavi has struggled as a manager. In the 16 matches he has oversaw for Barca in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, he has only achieved four victories. For the first time since the 1998–99 season, Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League group stage in back-to-back seasons. Both times, they were demoted to the Europa League but were only able to go to the quarterfinals.
Furthermore, to add to their problems in European football, in response to claims that the Camp Nou outfit paid former vice-president of Spain’s referees committee, UEFA has opened a formal investigation into them. The Catalan club allegedly paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira’s firms 7 million euros (£6.2 million) between 2001 and 2018, according to Spanish reports from last month.