Barcelona close to finalising the contract renewal of Xavi until 2026

It was not long ago that Xavi Hernandez was the manager at Al-Sadd. The Spaniard was enjoying a silent, yet positive run at the Qatar-based club in the hope of honing his skills for a bigger purpose.

The onset of Barcelona’s presidential elections changed the scene altogether. The club legend soon found his name linked to a return back to Catalonia and even acted as the manifesto for a few candidates.

While there was never a speck of doubt that he would have a run at his childhood club, many doubted him for lack of experience. The Qatari League, they said, was several notches below La Liga. Many pundits, in fact, wrote him off before he even started.

A year and a half later, Xavi stands alongside a new generation of Blaugranas who look set to dominate football for at least the next decade. His team may not be flawless, but they have always found a way to work around their inefficiencies.

According to reports from David Bernabeu Reverter of SPORT, Barcelona are very close to sealing Xavi’s contract extension until 2026.

Only the final details remain to be sorted before the news is made official. Fabrizio Romano further adds that the deal has been ready since March.

In his first full season as the manager of FC Barcelona, the former midfielder has guided Barcelona to the Spanish Super Cup and a very special La Liga title. In the process, he has developed a young core with an unimaginable ceiling.

The coach’s current deal with Barcelona runs until June 2024. The new agreement will add two years to the lease and will hopefully be the first of many contract extensions Xavi signs with Barcelona.

Heading into next season, the Spanish tactician’s primary focus will be to improve Barcelona’s position on the European front. After all, there is major image-fixing to be done after four European eliminations in two seasons.