BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s job appears in serious doubt after his club met with Xavi Hernández amid growing speculation that its former midfield great could become its next coach.
Those rumors were stoked to fever pitch when Qatari club Al-Sadd - where Xavi coaches - said that Barcelona was “negotiating” with him.
"There are negotiations between Xavi and Barcelona now and we wish him success wherever he decides to go," Al-Sadd's sports director Muhammad Ghulam Al Balushi told Qatari television broadcaster Alkass.
Xavi said he had met with Barcelona sports director Eric Abidal on Friday in Doha but did not reveal the nature of the meeting.