Deco responds to claims Barcelona have asked Xavi to stay on as manager

Barcelona sporting director Deco has responded to claims the club have asked Xavi to stay on as manager after the end of the season.

Xavi has said he’ll step down in the summer because he thinks the club need a “change of dynamic” and that he thinks it’s the best decision all around.

There has been speculation that both Joan Laporta and Rafa Yuste have spoken to Xavi and asked him to think about staying on and seeing out his contract that runs until 2025.

The question of Xavi staying has been put to Deco, but he does not think it’s a possibility as things stand.

“If something changes, I won’t say that we can’t raise it. We have nothing against him. It’s not a decision that the club or the sports management has taken. At the moment, there is no such possibility. If it happens, we will discuss it,” he told Catalunya Radio.

Xavi has seemed adamant he wants to go in recent weeks. The coach has spoken bitterly about how it’s an “impossible job” that has made him feel “worthless” at times.