Barcelona are considering appointing Hansi Flick as their next head coach.
Over the weekend, Xavi announced his intention to depart his role at the Catalan giants at the end of the current campaign.
His decision came after Barcelona had succumbed to a 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal, a result that leaves them 11 points adrift of leaders Girona in the La Liga table.
However, the club legend has also spoken about the pressures of managing Barcelona, which have intensified during a period of inconsistent form.
With the 44-year-old insisting that he will see out the season in the dugout, it provides Barcelona officials with time to find their preferred replacement.
A number of names have been linked with the position, including Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, but it has since been claimed that the Spaniard has no interest in departing the Emirates Stadium in the summer.
According to BILD journalist Christian Falk, president Joan Laporta retains an interest in acquiring the services of Flick.
The 58-year-old is currently out of work after a hugely disappointing stint as manager of Germany, winning just 12 of his 25 matches and being sacked before his nation host Euro 2024.
Nevertheless, his stock remains high due to his efforts in charge of Bayern Munich between November 2019 and June 2021, Flick lifting seven pieces of silverware despite overseeing just 87 matches.
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That included a Champions League triumph in 2020, and it was seemingly one of the attractions when Laporta allegedly attempted to appoint Flick as Barcelona boss before Xavi was brought back to the club.
Falk says that Laporta held a video chat with Flick at the time, and the expectation is that those conversations will be revisited over the coming weeks.
Flick has never managed outside of his native Germany, although he did have a spell as assistant manager at Red Bull Salzburg in 2006.
Barcelona are unlikely to rush into any final decisions, particularly when qualifying for next season’s Champions League is in doubt at the same time as they are yet to significantly improve their financial position.