Barcelona not considering veteran defender’s renewal now that Xavi has decided to leave – report

Barcelona fans were struck with huge news last night as Xavi announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season. This came following a 3-5 loss against Villarreal, as the Catalans went ten points behind leaders Real Madrid.

Xavi explained to the media that he had made his decision around Christmas while on break, but had decided to delay the announcement for a while. He considered the defeat yesterday the perfect chance to take the mic.

“I feel very good. I made my decision a long time ago, and it feels liberating to announce it. I think that we can still have a good season in my last four months here,” he said.

Barcelona have trusted Xavi for more than two years now, also backing him during transfer windows as much as possible. Some of the players in the current squad have also been trusted after the coach’s guarantee, as well, including one Sergi Roberto.

Roberto, currently captain of the club, was set to leave at the end of the 2022/23 season, but his contract was renewed for another year at Xavi’s request. The coach also publicly asked the club to renew him further, which was taken into consideration.

However, as per fresh reports from Javi Miguel, Barcelona are no longer thinking about renewing Roberto’s contract now that Xavi has decided to leave.

The 44-year-old coach was the right-back’s biggest supporter at the club, and Barça would have likely extended his services for another year on low wages if the coach had continued beyond this season.

Now, scouting and signing a new right-back will be one of the biggest priorities for Barcelona heading into the summer transfer window.

Joao Cancelo is, of course, among the options, but the Catalans would need at least another full-back to cover across both positions if they want a decently competitive backline.