41-year-old Serie A manager not a candidate to replace Xavi at Barcelona – Romano

Xavi’s resignation from FC Barcelona was certainly not a shock. However, considering the set of circumstances Barcelona are in at the moment, finding a suitable candidate to lead the team from the next season would be a tricky task.

In that regard, reports in Italy suggested that former Italy midfielder and current Bologna boss Thiago Motta was touted as a potential candidate, but Fabrizio Romano (h/t Martin Minan) has suggested that the 41-year-old will continue to work in Italy and will not move to Barcelona.

“Everything can change in football, but right now, he is not a candidate.”

What is Barcelona’s next course of action?

With no manager affirmed for the next season, the task to rebuild the team is in the hands of sporting director Deco and as reported before, the former midfielder is ready to be the bad guy in order to bring the team back on track, both sportingly and financially.

For that, the board is planning a major overhaul in order to raise €200 million by player sales. To achieve the record, the team is ready to cash in on those who were once untouchable at Barcelona.

Thiago Motta was reportedly linked with Barcelona. (Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Right now, there are only a handful of players who fall under this category and a majority of those, who are a key part of the team this season, can be put on the transfer list to generate revenue.

What about a new manager?

At this moment, there is not even the slightest of hints who would be Barcelona’s new manager. Jurgen Klopp was strongly linked with the Blaugrana, but the current Liverpool manager is more inclined towards taking a hiatus than returning to work at once.

As far as Motta is concerned, the former Barcelona and PSG midfielder has been in charge of Bologna since September 2022 and during his one-and-a-half-year stint, he has won 25 of his 58 matches. While these are not strong figures at first glance, he is doing a decent job.

However, as confessed by Motta himself, he does not want to get distracted by any links. “I heard of Xavi leaving Barça, yes — they told me this news some minutes ago,” he was quoted by Romano.

“Barça links for the future? I live in the present. I’m enjoying my time at Bologna, I’m only focused on the present,” he added.