Xavi wanted to sell 5 Barcelona stars before controversial exit, Joan Laporta wasn’t happy with his choices: Reports

Barcelona Training Session — Xavi wanted to sell 5 Barcelona stars before controversial exit

Xavi Hernandez reportedly wanted to part ways with five Barcelona players before his shock exit from the club in the summer. As reported by Barca Blaugranes, club president Joan Laporta did not agree with the manager's views which led to his controversial sacking.

As per the report, Xavi wanted to part ways with Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix Oriol Romeu, Marcos Alonso and Vitor Roque. It was understood that Roque could be sent out on loan while Romeu and Alonso fell down the pecking order anyway.

However, Laporta was thought to be against the idea of parting ways with Lewandowski and Felix. Incoming manager Hansi Flick, meanwhile, sees the Poland international as a key part of his plans.

Joao Felix, on the other hand, has his loan deal with Barca expiring this summer and has not been a regular under Xavi. However, the Atletico Madrid loanee could continue at Camp Nou with Laporta on excellent terms with his agent Jorge Mendes.

As per the aforementioned report, Laporta decided to part ways with Xavi as he wanted to let go of these five players. Xavi initially announced his decision to quit at the end of the season back in January. However, Barcelona later convinced the La Liga-winning manager to change his mind and fulfil his contract until 2025.

Barcelona planning to sacrifice winger to sign Liverpool star: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to part ways with Raphinha and are looking to snap up Luis Diaz from Liverpool. The Colombia international had a decent season for the Reds, contributing 13 goals and five assists in 51 appearances across competitions.

While Diaz remains a key player at Anfield, the 27-year-old has been the subject of interest from the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in recent months. However, Liverpool are expected to demand a figure around €120-140 million for the fleet-footed attacker.

Barca don't have the financial muscle to pull off such a big move but they could look to bring Diaz's price down by offering Raphinha as part of the deal. Raphinha has been decent for the Catalan giants since his £55 million switch from Leeds United in 2022, scoring 20 goals and providing 25 assists in 87 games.