BARCELONA are being linked with a shock replacement for manager Xavi, according to reports.
The legendary Spanish midfielder, 44, confirmed last week that he will leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season.
Barcelona are eight points adrift of LaLiga leaders Girona and out of the Copa del Rey.
And while they are into the last 16 of the Champions League, Xavi has confirmed this will be his third and final campaign in charge.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is one candidate that has been mooted, although the Gunners head coach was quick to shut down that talk.
Former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is another man being linked with the role.
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But Marca are now claiming Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been in touch with former head coach Frank Rijkaard.
Dutch icon Rijkaard, 61, took charge of the Spanish giants in 2003 after spells with the Netherlands and Sparta Rotterdam.
He spent five years at the Nou Camp, winning two LaLiga titles and the Champions League.
When he left in 2008, to pave the way for Pep Guardiola, he went on to manage Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabian national team.
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However, both jobs lasted less than two years and he has not been in work since leaving the Middle East in January 2013.
Yet a more than decade-long absence from football does not appear to be deterring Laporta – who is optimistic about Rijkaard’s return.
The Ajax and AC Milan icon previously stated he has “no intention” of getting back into coaching.
But reports claim he has not “closed the door completely” on management.
Xavi’s shock announcement that he will quit came after Barcelona lost 5-3 at home to Villarreal at the weekend.
He said: “I will leave Barcelona in June. We have reached a point of no return. It’s time for change.”
The former midfielder then went on to add: “I took this decision days ago. I already knew it. But it’s time to make it public.
“I think the players could not free themselves up. I don’t want to be a problem for the club, but the opposite.”
Xavi, whose contract is up at the end of the season, also said: “You asked me many times that if I’d be the Sir Alex Ferguson of Barca… the truth is that it will never happen here.
“You guys won’t allow it — being Barca coach is so difficult. You see how they kill you, they criticise you, it affects you.
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“It’s a cruel job, it wears you down. In Barcelona you always feel like you’re not valued, you’re mistreated – that’s how the club works. From a mental health level, it’s tough too.
“I’m a positive guy but the battery levels keep running out — and at some point, you realise there’s no point in staying.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
