Xavi Hernandez and FC Barcelona share a history between them that goes well beyond just his recent tenure as a coach. Once a legendary player and former academy graduate, Xavi has always been a Blaugrana through and through since he first stepped into La Masia aged just 11.
His return to Barcelona as a coach took place in November of 2021, and since then, the Catalan giants have managed to regain some semblance of their sporting identity while also emerging as strong domestic contenders as well once more thanks to the coaching philosophy and belief instilled within the team by Xavi.
Yet, it is not too long from now that Xavi will see his current Barcelona contract come to an end. Set to expire in 2024, Barcelona and Xavi have been working on a contract renewal for some time now. However, it appears that a slight change in that renewal agreement is set to take place.
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, FC Barcelona will now look to offer the Catalan coach an extension for only one additional year until 2025 rather than continue with the original understanding that the renewal would keep Xavi as the Catalan side’s head coach until 2026, a two-year extension.
Reportedly, this comes as a consequence of financial fair play that Barcelona will need to address before penning down the coach to this new contract. One of the primary negotiations that took place were on the topic of an improved financial package for the Blaugrana coach and his staff.
Adhering to the improved package, Barcelona have had to implement those new figures into his contract while having to decrease the duration of the renewal to keep it sustainable from the perspective of financial fair play.
Xavi arrived in 2021 with a contract from Barcelona that was offering much less in terms of financial benefits as compared to other elite European coaches, but the Catalan manager accepted the terms in order to help a struggling Barcelona team both sportingly and economically.
Now, having won both the La Liga title as well as the Spanish Super Cup last season for La Blaugrana, Xavi believes the improved financial package for him and his staff is justified. Subsequently, Barcelona themselves believe his requests are warranted and are doing their best to adhere to them in a contract that could be signed this week, according to the same report.