Doubts return over Xavi Hernández's future in Barça dugout after recent comments 

Fresh doubts are being raised about the future of Xavi Hernández, currently the manager of FC Barcelona, as first reported by Catalan radio station Rac1. 

The coach has a contract until the end of 2025 and announced at the end of April that he will see out his contract, which at the time was a U-turn on January’s decision to leave at the end of this season. Now, it looks like the club could be about to turn on the decision again and look for a new manager to lead the team next season, according to multiple media reports in Catalonia on Friday.  

Club president Joan Laporta was left unconvinced about Xavi’s position after the manager's press conference ahead of Thursday’s game against Almería, in which he said the club's financial situation doesn't give opportunities to sign players to "compete with the best," and that the goal for next season was to "add new people and improve." 

"Things that didn't go well need to be improved. We need to see what the financial situation is," he said. "The current situation is not the same as years ago," he compared to a time when "the coach said who he wanted on the team." 

Hernandez's words didn't sit well with the board as they feel they contradict what he said in April. 

"This project needs to continue. We believe in the stability of the club. This project isn’t finished, we’re working well," he said in April during a press conference. 

“The fans have to realize we need to adjust to this. That does not mean we won’t compete. We will try our best. The target is to improve by bringing in new players in. If we do not change, we won’t get better,” Hernández said. 

Regardless, Barça’s difficult financial position is well documented, with debts of around €1 billion, and a La Liga salary cap limit that has been slashed from €270 million to €204 million in February, meaning that the club will need to bring in significant quantities of funds before they can bring in any additions to the squad.

Could Xavi be fired? 

According to the Catalan radio station Rac1, and many other well-placed journalists in Catalan media, Xavi Hernández will not manager FC Barcelona next season as Joan Laporta is said to be deeply disappointed by him. 

This news comes after the team won against Almería, with a 0-2 victory, on Thursday. Tellingly, neither Laporta nor sporting director Deco were present in Almería for the game.  

FC Barcelona has neither confirmed nor denied the news.