Barcelona President Joan Laporta reportedly wants to sack Xavi, but the club do not have the economic strength to pay out the manager and his staff. So, Laporta is avoiding his meetings with Xavi, hoping to buy more time and find the money to sever ties with the Spaniard.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta Avoiding Meeting With Xavi
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, Barcelona manager Xavi is aware that President Laporta wants to relieve him of his responsibilities at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Spanish tactician, however, has no intention of resigning, meaning he will only depart Catalonia if Barcelona sack him.
Laporta, meanwhile, believes that Barcelona are better off without Xavi as their manager. He wants to bring in a fresh face in the summer transfer window and give him the autonomy to run Barcelona. However, since Xavi has no plans to resign, Laporta can only dismiss Xavi if he sacks him, making him eligible for a payout.
As per Diario AS, Barcelona could have to pay as much as €20 million ($21.73 million) to remove Xavi and his staff from Catalonia. Given Barca’s fragile economic state, they cannot afford to dish out such a massive severance pay.
Xavi reportedly wants to fix his relationship with Laporta by having a face-to-face meeting, but the President is postponing it. Laporta reportedly does not plan to meet with Xavi until the end of the 2023-24 season. He intends to use the time to find the money to afford his dismissal.
Why Does Laporta Want To Sack Xavi?
In April, Barcelona President Joan Laporta announced Xavi would overturn his decision to resign and continue as Barcelona manager beyond the 2023-24 season. He showed full faith in the manager and called him the right man to lead the Blaugrana.
On Thursday (May 16), the situation reportedly took a shocking turn, with many reports claiming Laporta had decided to sack Xavi due to the manager’s pre-match comments. The news, which broke during Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Almeria, claimed that Laporta was furious that the manager had called Real Madrid economically superior and advised Barca fans to taper their expectations. Xavi also said that Barcelona did not plan to sign out-of-favor youngster Vitor Roque in January — another statement that did not sit well with Laporta.
Of course, neither party has confirmed these rumors, meaning it is best to take them with a grain of salt.
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