ФК Барселона и Чави се „далеку“ за обновување на договорот

FC Barcelona and Xavi Hernandez are ‘far apart’ from reaching an agreement on the head coach’s contract renewal, according to Кадена СЕР.

Xavi has been in the Camp Nou hotseat since November 2021, when he replaced a fellow midfield legend in Ronald Koeman fired after a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.

His first half a season in the dugout yielded no silverware but guaranteed qualification for the Champions League.

And even though Barca yet again crashed out of Europe’s elite club competition in the group stage on his watch in 2022/2023, Xavi oversaw his captain Sergio Busquets lifting a first La Liga crown in four years and the Spanish Super Cup as the Blaugrana also reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Barca president Joan Laporta has continually backed Xavi in public through the highs and the lows, and getting the ex-number ‘6’ to sign a renewal has been one of his top priorities.

Според Спорт, Xavi was offered fresh terms in April not long after Barca were dumped out of the Copa del Rey last four via their heaviest home defeat in El Clasico in 60 years.

Before the 4-0 pummelling Real Madrid handed down, however, which resulted in a 4-1 aggregate loss, Barca had beaten their bitter rivals 2-1 at home with a victory that pretty much tied up the Spanish top flight crown.

Two months later with the season now concluded, talks continue but Кадена СЕР reports that Barca and their manager are “far apart” from being able to reach an agreement.

Xavi has reportedly requested to be paid €12 million ($12.9 million) net per season and has demanded €30 million ($32.3 million) gross overall for him and his staff.

Barca are currently in a precarious situation economically speaking, and have been ordered to eliminate €200 million ($215 million) from the wage bill by La Liga to navigate Financial Fair Play limits.

This complicated the potential return of Lionel Messi, forcing the club to present a viability plan to the league causing hold ups and delays that probably influenced the Argentine’s decision to quickly end speculation through agreeing to join Inter Miami.

With Messi now not coming back, Barca should theoretically have money left over to provide Xavi with fresh terms but also need to satisfy his demands to bring in two midfielders, a backup striker, and a right back.

Once this has been done, they may be able to pay Xavi what he wants or negotiate lower wages with the 43-year-old.