Xavi sets conditions to continue as Barcelona manager beyond this season – report

The future of Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona has become a hot topic of late as the club board, led by Joan Laporta, is trying to convince the former midfielder to stay on as manager.

Xavi publicly announced his decision to leave Barcelona once the season was over as he felt that the team needed a change in dynamics and that a separation of ways would be in everyone’s best interest.

But the turnaround of form and results since then, in particular the wins over Napoli and Atletico Madrid, have seemingly convinced Laporta & co. to stick with the 44-year-old.

As reported earlier, the two parties are set to meet next month, after the Real Madrid clash, as Laporta plans to convince Xavi to stay put.

Xavi’s conditions to continue

Until now, Xavi has been firm on his stance that his decision is binding and his mind will not be changed. However, SPORT now reports that the club legend is not completely closing the door on his continuity beyond this season.

Will Xavi stay or leave? (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)

But for that to happen, the 44-year-old tactician would set a few conditions that the club would have to agree on.

For starters, Xavi would push for having greater weight when it comes to sporting decisions – something that is currently fully under the purview of Deco.

More importantly, the Barcelona manager would seek guarantees about having money to spend in the summer so that high-level additions can be made to the squad.

A top-quality pivot and a differential winger are seen as key, with Xavi understanding that going into another season with the current squad could be fraught with risk.

As such, if Barcelona cannot guarantee signings or can only afford free transfers and low-cost arrivals, the manager will have second thoughts about staying.