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Barcelona has terminated the contract of manager Xavi, with former Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick poised to succeed him.
Xavi will lead Barcelona for the last time on Sunday when they play Sevilla in their final La Liga match of the season.
The 44-year-old, who had a contract until 2025, received the news during a meeting with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco on Friday – exactly a month after the announcement that he would remain at the club.
Xavi, a former Spain midfielder, had declared in January his intention to leave Camp Nou but was convinced to stay by Laporta in April.
However, Xavi’s recent remarks about the club’s financial difficulties reportedly angered Laporta.
Barcelona expressed gratitude to Xavi for his coaching contributions since taking over in 2021.
The club added that a “new structure” will be announced soon, with Flick set to assume the role.
The 59-year-old Flick has been unemployed since his dismissal by Germany in September 2023.
Flick, who succeeded Joachim Low as the national team manager in 2021, was the first German coach to be sacked since the position was established in 1926, winning only 12 out of his 25 matches.
Flick’s tenure with Germany followed his successful spell at Bayern Munich, where he secured a treble in 2020, winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League.
Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski, 35, played under Flick at Bayern for two seasons.
After leading Barcelona to the La Liga title in 2022-23, Xavi’s team had a disappointing season defending their title this year.
The Catalans are 12 points behind their rivals Real Madrid, with one game left in the season.
Barcelona was also eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Paris Saint-Germain.
Xavi spent 17 years with Barcelona as a player, having graduated from the club’s La Masia academy.
After four years playing for Al-Sadd in Qatar, Xavi retired in 2019 to manage the team.
He stayed in Qatar for another two seasons before taking over from Ronald Koeman as Barcelona manager in November 2021.
Xavi led the club to the La Liga title and Spanish Cup in his first full season, bringing the team back to the Champions League.
During his 141 games as Barcelona’s manager, Xavi won 89 matches, giving him a 63% win rate.
