QATARI club Al Sadd have announced that their manager Xavi will be returning to his old club Barcelona.
The former Barcelona captain has been heavily linked with the vacant managerial position at Camp Nou since Ronaldo Koeman was sacked in late October.
Although there is no official word yet from the Spanish giants, Al Sadd have confirmed that the former midfielder will be going back to Spain to manage the club where he achieved massive success as a player.
“The Al-Sadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract. We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future,” Al Sadd said in an official statement on Friday.
The release clause is believed to be around €5m.
Xavi, 41, played for Barcelona between 1998 and 2015, making 505 appearances and winning eight LaLiga and four UEFA Champions League titles, among other major honours.
He joined Al Sadd in 2015 and won the Qatari league title with the club in 2019 before retiring from playing to become their manager.
The 2010 World Cup winner with Spain led Al Sadd to seven trophies in just three years as manager, including the 2021 top flight title.
