Xavi makes three important requests to Laporta as Barcelona appointment nears

It seems like Barcelona have made a breakthrough in talks with Al Sadd as they close in on the naming Xavi Hernandez as the next manager. As per the latest update, Barca plan to announce Xavi’s appointment later today.

The 41-year-old had been heavily tipped to take over as the club’s next head coach when Ronald Koeman was sacked. But with the Qatari outfit not letting go of their man without a fight, talks took some time before a resolution was reached.

Cat Radio now claims that the Catalan giants had a full agreement with their former midfielder a while ago, with the Spaniard already having begun plans for his tenure at Camp Nou. The report states that the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner has made three important requests to Laporta and the club hierarchy as he prepares to take over the reins.

The first of these three requests, as per the report, is that he be allowed to continue with his trusted staff that he is currently working with at Al Sadd. They include his brother Oscar Hernandez and Sergio Alegre, his assistant coaches and his physical trainer, Ivan Torres.

In addition, he also wants David Prats, Toni Lobo and Sergio Garcia, who are in charge of scouting, to accompany him, along with a physiotherapist, Carlos Nogueira.

The second request made by the former Barcelona captain is that he wishes to revamp the club’s medical department. The Blaugrana have suffered many injuries this season, and questions have been asked of the medical team because of the same. The report claims that Xavi has asked for the return of Dr Ricard Pruna, who has previously worked at Barcelona and is currently employed in Dubai.

Finally, the soon-to-be Barca boss has also asked the club to sign a natural, out-and-out winger in the January transfer window. Despite the club’s delicate financial situation, the Catalans could be in a position to spend €20million in the winter, and Xavi is keen on adding a proper wide player to his ranks. At the same time, he also hopes to count on Ousmane Dembele, who suffered yet another injury earlier this week.