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Xavi has turned down Barcelona’s offer to take over from Ernesto Valverde midseason, according to AS. The La Liga giants had met with their former player last week in a bid to try and convince him to take over the reins of the club.
The club wanted the Spaniard to take over immediately, which would prompt the departure of Valverde. Barcelona had placed a two-and-a-half-year deal on the table and wanted Xavi to respond by Sunday. However, current reports reveal that the Spaniard has turned down the offer.
The former Barcelona player had his reservations right from the start about the deal and was sceptical about arriving at the Camp Nou at such short notice. The situation would have also put the current Blaugrana manager in an uncomfortable position as well, which was something Xavi was not willing to do.
As such, the Spaniard has decided that it would be best if he stayed at Al Sadd at the moment and concentrate on the job at hand.
Xavi stays in contention for the job in the summer
It is believed that Xavi wanted a little more time to consider the offer and come to a decision regarding taking over midseason. However, because the Catalans insisted on an answer by Sunday, the Spaniard had to decline the offer.
As a result, the Barcelona contingent will return to the Nou Camp without any significant changes to the club management. This means that Valverde, who has no communication from the club yet regarding these latest developments, will most certainly remain at the helm until the end of the season.
Despite turning down the offer at the moment, it is believed that the Spaniard will still be in the running for the job in the summer. By turning down the recent offer, Xavi has given clear indications that he does not desire to work as a stopgap. Instead, the Spaniard wants to begin his own project at the Nou Camp and that could very well happen in the summer.
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