Xavi Hernández, legendary Barça midfielder and now a promising coach, is the footballing figure whose mention currently generates most excitement among Barça fans. After last Friday's crushing defeat by Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Futbol Club Barcelona is hungrily seeking a generational change in its squad and a way to recover the style that brought it huge success a decade ago. And it is now known that president Josep Maria Bartomeu contacted Xavi to see what his availability was.
The Barça president, who has not resigned but rather has called elections for March 2021, called the former midfielder early last week to find out if there was any real chance that he might return to Camp Nou this summer, according to journalist Javi Miguel on the Catalunya Rádio programme Club de la Mitjanit.
Bartomeu has not resigned
Bartomeu offered Xavi everything he asked for in January
Barça personnel paid a visit to Xavi in Qatar back in January, when then-coach Ernesto Valverde had his head on the block, but the former Barça captain set out conditions that the Barça management couldn't accept. Now things have changed and Bartomeu offered Xavi everything he had asked for at the beginning of the year.
Xavi is the figure who generates the most excitement
Bartomeu was not the only one who got in touch with Xavi: some of the Barça first team players also spoke to him. After the historic Champions' League humiliation of the Catalan team by 2-8, the midfielder's former teammates reportedly pleaded with him: "Come on, we need you", according to Catalunya Rádio.
"With this board, I'm not clear about it"
Xavi's response, in fact, referred to his doubts about the way the club is being run off the field: "With this board, I'm not clear about it." President Bartomeu has now decided to stay in office until elections in March and this has put paid to the the arrival at Camp Nou of the Terrassa legend. Meanwhile, contacts with Ronald Koeman are already at an advanced stage and the Dutchman is likely to be named as the next Barça coach in a matter of hours, barring an unexpected reversal.