Former Manchester United manager appeals to Barcelona president Laporta – report

With Xavi Hernandez set to step down as the manager of FC Barcelona at the end of the season, the Catalans are scouring far and wide in the market for a replacement.

Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi feature among the most-liked candidates while Jurgen Klopp remains the dream appointment for club president Joan Laporta.

It has been previously reported that the Barça president is leaning towards appointing someone from the German school of football, giving way to links to the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann, apart from Klopp and Flick.

Laporta likes Ralf Rangnick

Now, as per Jaume Mercet of SPORT, another German manager, Ralf Rangnick, also appeals to Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Rangnick, 65, is currently the head coach of the Austrian national team, prior to which he was the caretaker manager at Manchester United between December 2021 and June 2022.

Rangnick’s stint at Manchester United was a bizarre one to say the least and his time with the Austrian national team since then hasn’t been exactly special either.

The German tactician has overseen 18 matches with Austria, winning ten and losing five (D3). He has a contract with the national team until 2026.

While he has managed other clubs in the past, Rangnick has been largely employed in a directorial role over the last ten years or so. However, he did manage RB Leipzig for two seasons in 2015/16 and 2018/19.

While Laporta might like Rangnick, the possibility of the ex-Man United caretaker boss being named as Barcelona manager is nigh on impossible.

Given the situation, the Catalans are looking for a more established and proven manager to take over from Xavi at the end of the season.