Al Sadd committed to keeping Xavi despite Barcelona interest
Football
By
Reuters
| Nov 03, 2021
Al-Sadd are not willing to let manager Xavi Hernandez leave despite interest from Barcelona, the Qatari club's CEO Turki Al-Ali said on Wednesday.
Barcelona officials Rafa Yuste and Mateu Alemany travelled to Doha on Tuesday to try to negotiate Barca great Xavi's release from Al-Sadd and met with the former midfielder's agents in Qatar on Wednesday.
The Catalan club are looking to replace Dutchman Ronald Koeman who was sacked last week following a poor start to the campaign.
"We welcome the visit of the administrative delegation from Barcelona, and we appreciate and respect this," Al-Ali said in a social media statement on Al-Sadd's official Twitter account.
"The club's position is clear from the beginning - we are committed to keeping our coach Xavi with us and we cannot have him leave at this sensitive time of the season."
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Spanish media reported that Xavi, who enjoyed an illustrious career with Barcelona from 1998-2015, has a release clause of 10 million euros ($11.6 million).
Barcelona sacked Koeman after a dismal start to the season. The club, who are ninth in LaLiga, are currently under the guidance of caretaker coach Sergi Barjuan.