Barcelona will not pay €15 million release clause for 44-year-old managerial target

Xavi will not manage Barcelona next season, and his decision does not appear to be one that can be reversed.

The Barça legend has indeed helped shape the team and took them from a state of despair to the La Liga title. However, the stagnation in the team’s growth has not gone down with the management, and Xavi ensured that he was the party who voluntarily stepped down.

The Blaugranas are now on the lookout for a new coach who can take forward the hard work put in by the departing club legend.

Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick and Roberto de Zerbi are some of the candidates strongly linked to the job in Catalonia, but the latter appears to be the more favoured option.

Release clause to be paid?

As revealed in SPORT‘s latest report, Brighton & Hove Albion demand €15 million to free De Zerbi from his contract with the club.

However, Barcelona are clear that they will not shell a dime to the English club for the manager’s services, and the onus of securing the letter of freedom lies in his hands.

If the Italian tactician wishes to coach Barcelona, he will have to secure his exit. Concurrently, however, the manager insists that he will not negotiate an exit until he is convinced that he is the candidate chosen by the Catalans.

After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

The German option

While De Zerbi has the backing of a major chunk of Barcelona’s administration, Hansi Flick provides tough competition.

After all, the German manager has seen the pinnacle of football with Bayern Munich and is no stranger to well-orchestrated possession play.

Earlier this week, Flick offered his services to Barcelona through his agent Pini Zahavi, who was spotted in the city and even met with Joan Laporta.

The final decision will be taken in time, as revealed by Deco. However, the sooner the call is made, the better for Barcelona as it would help them plan the squad as desired by the new coach.