44-year-old Premier League tactician remains best placed to replace Xavi at Barcelona

As we approach the final phase of the campaign, the Barcelona board is facing increasing pressure to finalise their managerial search.

The club are immersed in search of a replacement for Xavi Hernandez, who has announced his desire to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.

Several names have emerged as potential candidates including Barcelona board’s favourite Luis Enrique, as well as German names such as Julian Nagelsmann and Hansi Flick.

Roberto De Zerbi is well-placed to become Barcelona coach

However, it is Roberto De Zerbi, who appears to be the frontrunner in the race to become the next Barcelona manager, reports MARCA.

The Italian mastermind, currently a coach at Brighton & Hove Albion, is regarded highly in the Barcelona camp, particularly due to his tactical expertise and ability to nurture young talents.

That goes hand in hand with Barcelona’s philosophy. The Catalans, therefore, consider De Zerbi as an ideal replacement for Xavi this summer.

An ideal replacement for Xavi? (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

De Zerbi’s uncertain future at Brighton

However, hiring De Zerbi in the coming summer will be far from an easy task, as far as Barcelona are concerned.

The Italian has a release clause worth £10 million. To make things worse, Brighton are keen on extending the contract so that they can further increase the value of the release clause.

De Zerbi, for his part, is quite happy at Brighton. He is also open to new opportunities, especially at big European clubs like Barcelona.

As a result, the Italian has remained calm about his future and is in no rush to extend his contract at Brighton. However, he certainly has to make a decision on his future in the coming months, especially if Barcelona come knocking on his door.