Barca chief Laporta leaves Xavi's future in Deco's hands

The Catalan press suggests that Xavi Hernandez has changed his mind. After losing a catastrophic La Liga game against Villarreal, he announced that he would step down on 30th June despite having another season left on his contract plus an optional one. Now, after a few months of improvement, he has been summoned to a meeting with Deco, his sporting director, to discuss the matter.

Xavi Torres, in the programme 'Onze' on 'TV3', reports that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has preferred to stay away from this issue. Torres understands that this is a sign of the mistrust that the president feels towards the continuity of the tactician, who does not seem to convince him. In any case, it is the kindest way for his budget because he would not have to do anything: his contract is already signed until 2025.

The main candidate is Rafa Marquez, his counterpart in the reserve team, who is having a great season with Barca Atletic and was receptive to the media as soon as he heard that his superior had made it known that he would forgive the remaining year of his contract. The plan, in this sense, was to take a sabbatical period, thus relieving the Catalan side's coffers of his salary, as, after all, it was his decision to leave.

Once Xavi Hernandez has come to an agreement with Deco, he will be able to talk to Joan Laporta, who will probably ask him to announce his intention to continue in his post, just as he announced his deferred resignation. An adjustment of his contract is not ruled out, although it is quite likely that the focus will be on the transfer market.