Xavi back at Barça? - David Borrat / EFE / SIPA

Former Spanish international midfielder Xavi announced his "dream" of coaching Barcelona on Saturday, while his current club, Al Sadd (Qatar), has confirmed talks with the Catalan club about the future of the young coach ( 39 years old).

"I can't hide it is my dream to coach Barcelona, ​​I have said it many times," said Xavi Hernandez in a press conference after an Al Sadd match in the Qatar Cup.

“It is my dream to coach Barcelona” - Xavi pic.twitter.com/lbRGVZ6wHQ

- beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 11, 2020

The 2010 world champion, however, did not want to provide details on the current negotiations, merely reporting a meeting with his "friend" and former teammate Eric Abidal, current sports director of Barça.

According to several Spanish media, Abidal met Xavi in ​​Qatar in order to probe him for the next two seasons, but also for the current season, in the event of the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde, the current coach. The latter, weighed down by his recurring poor results in the Champions League, was very weakened by a defeat in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday against Atlético Madrid (3-2). According to some Spanish media, the news could even be announced over the weekend.

"I can't tell you too much. Just that I met Abidal and that he is my friend, ”said Xavi. "They were here to talk to me and we discussed a lot of things. And they were here to check how Ousmane Dembélé feels, "a French striker from Barça recovering in Qatar, added the technician.

"I respect Barcelona, ​​I respect Valverde, I respect my club and I do my job here," insisted ex-captain blaugrana.

For his part, Al Sadd confirmed the existence of negotiations. "I'm not going to deny that. There are negotiations about Xavi and everyone is talking about it ... But I can say that Xavi, so far, is in Al Sadd, "said Qatari club sports director Muhammad Ghulam Al-Balushi , at BeIN Qatar.

"The final decision is in the hands of the management of Al Sadd, in the hands of the coach and in the hands of the management of Barcelona," he added.

World champion in 2010, European in 2008 and 2012, the emblematic former midfielder of FC Barcelona and Spain (133 caps), soon to be 40 years old, arrived at Al Sadd in 2015 as that player. He became a coach there in August 2019

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