Xavi given green light to leave Al Sadd and join Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona are getting closer to appointing Xavi as the club’s next manager, according to Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo.

The former Barcelona player met with his current club Al Sadd on Thursday to negotiate his departure and the meeting was very positive.

Al Sadd will not make it difficult for the 41-year-old coach to leave, despite the fact that he renewed his current deal in the summer until 2023.

Mundo Deportivo report that the Qatari outfit will let him leave on one condition – that he stays on to manage their next two games.

The first game is this Saturday and the second is on Wednesday, November 3. This clashes with Barça’s plan as they wanted Xavi to be in charge for their Champions League match with Dynamo Kyiv on November 2, but Al Sadd play Al Duhail, their rivals for the title on November 3, before the beginning of a league break of almost two months due to the Arab Cup.

The report added that after Xavi’s meeting with Al Sadd’s directors, the Qatari club are now waiting for a formal call from Barça to finalise the terms of his departure.

As a player at Al Sadd, Xavi won four titles in four years and as a coach, he has won seven in his first two seasons in charge.