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Celta de Vigo manager Luis Enrique has stepped down from his position at the club in anticipation of a move to Barcelona in the summer. The 44 year old is believed to have held talks with the Catalans earlier this month and is believed to be set to take over from current Barcelona manager, Gerardo Martino.
Enrique is a former Barcelona player and played for them from 1996-2004 and managed Barca’s B team from 2008-2011. Enrique is yet to confirm if he is going to return to the Catalan side.
In his statement on Friday, the Asturian said “Today is a sad day, today I am coach of Celta and I will be until the end of the season. I felt obliged to let the club know my plans, so they have time to prepare. There is no exclusive reason [for my departure], but I left my family behind in Barcelona and that has been hard. I can’t confirm or deny anything. In terms of my future, there is nothing to talk about. If an interesting situation arises in future, I will communicate that.”
Enrique was previously expected to take over at Barcelona following Tito Vilanova’s retirement but was already contracted to Celta de Vigo at the time.
