Barcelona considering Brazilian manager as a potential replacement for Xavi in the summer - Reports

Barcelona are considering Italian-Brazilian manager Thiago Motta as a potential replacement if current manager Xavi leaves in the summer, according to Esport 3.

Barca president Joan Laporta recently reaffirmed his absolute confidence in Xavi even though the team is enduring a spell of disappointing form at the moment. La Blaugrana recently lost the Supercopa de Espana final 4-1 to Real Madrid and are eight points behind leaders Girona in La Liga.

Xavi himself has said that the day that Barcelona think he is not fit to meet the objectives of the club, he will step aside from his managerial position. In that scenario, Barca's sporting director Deco is reportedly considering the option of signing Thiago Motta, who is currently managing Serie A side Bologna.

Motta made 147 appearances as a player for La Blaugrana across six seasons. From 2004 to 2007, he was also teammates with Deco at the club, and the two still maintain a very close relationship outside of football.

Motta played for both the Brazilian and Italian national teams during his time as a player. He has spent his entire professional managerial career in Italy, managing Genoa in 2019, Spezia from 2021 to 2022 and Bologna from 2022/23 till present.

This season, Motta has captured the attention of football fans around the world, having coached Bologna to seventh position in Serie A, only two points off a Champions League spot. Thus, Motta could be Deco's answer as the long-term replacement at the Camp Nou if they part ways with Xavi in the near future.

On-loan PSV defender Sergino Dest says he won't return to Barcelona as long as Xavi is there

In an interview with Voetbal International, American right-back Sergino Dest, who is on loan at PSV Eindhoven, said that he wouldn't return to Barcelona as long as Xavi is the manager at the club.

Asked about a potential return to parent club Barcelona, Dest said:

“Only if the situation changes there. Xavi is still there now. So at the moment no, that will be too difficult.”

Dest is enjoying a resurgent season, becoming a regular starter for a PSV team that has won all 17 Eredivisie games, conceding only seven goals in the process. He also appeared in all six Champions League games, helping PSV reach the knockout stages.

The American right-back hasn't been able to cement his place in Xavi's plans, leading to a last-minute loan to AC Milan last season. That did not work out for Dest as he made only 14 appearances for the Serie A side. However, the PSV loan this season has worked wonders and he has no plans of returning to Barcelona as long as Xavi is around.

Speaking about his renaissance and future plans, Dest added:

“Every player has his goals and every player wants to play at the top, that also applies to me. In the long term I would like to return to the level where I came from. But a season like this, I just have to enjoy it. So I have my full focus at PSV at the moment. And at the end of the season we will look further."