Deco’s influence a factor in Xavi signing only a one-year renewal with Barcelona – report

Xavi Hernandez is all set to sign a new contract with Barcelona, with a full agreement over a one-year extension already in place.

The contract is expected to be signed and officially announced before the end of this week, securing the 43-year-old’s future at the club until 2025.

It must be noted that initially talks were held over a two-year extension for Xavi, which would have kept him at the club until 2026.

However, due to multiple factors, it was decided that the Barcelona manager’s renewal would only be for one more year until 2025.

Deco prefers short-term contracts

And, as per a report from AS, the influence of new sporting director Deco was a factor behind Xavi’s new contract being for just one year.

The former midfielder has taken over the duties of the sporting department with Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff no longer at the club.

Deco, who will be officially presented to the media as Barcelona’s sporting director this week, is understood to be preferential towards short-term contract extensions for managers.

Back when Pep Guardiola was in charge at Barça, the great tactician opted to renew his contract by short, one-year terms, albeit by his own preference.

And, as per the report, Deco is also in favour of such a move and it played a role in Xavi’s new deal to be only until 2025.

Other factors

Apart from Deco’s preference, there were some other factors in play leading to Xavi’s new deal being extended by just one year.

Indeed, the financial situation at the club and the Fair Play limitations were also a constraint, especially considering that Xavi asked for an increase in salary for himself and his staff, having made big sacrifices when he joined in November 2021.

Reports suggest that Xavi’s salary is being doubled as part of the new deal, but as a consequence, the contract extension had to be for just one year.