SETTABLOID

By now, it has been well established that Barcelona are ready to replace Xavi Hernandez by bringing in Hansi Flick.

The German tactician was supposed to be unveiled early this week, but it appears there has been some unprecedented delay.

As things stand, Barcelona fans eager for the official announcement of Hansi Flick as their new coach may have to wait a bit longer.

Why is it taking so long?

According to RAC1, two key hurdles are delaying Barcelona’s planned announcement of Hansi Flick as the new coach.

Firstly, Barcelona is still finalizing the financial terms of Xavi Hernandez’s departure. The club wants to negotiate a buyout agreement with Xavi to avoid paying his full remaining year of contract.

However, finalizing a buyout before officially appointing a new coach weakens their bargaining position.

Secondly, La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations pose another challenge. La Liga requires clear documentation regarding buyout agreements when processing a coaching change.

If Barcelona declares Xavi’s departure as a dismissal before securing a buyout agreement, La Liga might force them to pay the full contract value, a financially undesirable outcome.

La Liga does allow for a change of coaches, but with limitations. Having exceeded the spending limit, Barcelona must offset any additional costs through future financial adjustments or repayments. This was the case with Xavi’s recent contract renewal.

Barcelona are looking to mete out these problems as soon as possible, with the report pointing to a crucial meeting that will be held between Xavi’s agent, Fernando Solanas and sporting director Deco.

The meeting will aim to reach a mutually agreeable buyout amount for Xavi, clearing the path for Hansi Flick’s official appointment.

It must be noted that Xavi has reportedly agreed not to demand any salary for the remaining period of his contract, but he might push Barcelona to pay the pending salary of his support staff.

Barcelona are set to usher in a new era as Hansi Flick will replace Xavi Hernandez as the new first-team manager imminently.

Xavi oversaw his final game in charge on Sunday night, leading Barça to a 2-1 win over Sevilla. While his axing has been officially confirmed, the matter of reaching an agreement over his severance package and other details remain pending.

Once that is out of the way, Barcelona will make the hiring of Flick official, but the German tactician is already working with sporting director Deco to plan the squad for the next season.

As is already well-established by now, a new pivot is seen as the top target, while Barça will also look for a new left winger, as well as a right-back.

There may be some other positions strengthened as well, depending on the financial situation of the club, but there are already targets identified by the manager to reinforce each area.

Even though it has been suggested that the German is unlikely to ask for huge signings being aware of the club’s financial situation, some big names appear on his ‘humble’ wishlist.

 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

As far as the pivot midfield position is concerned, it is public knowledge at this point that Joshua Kimmich is at the top of the list for Flick and Barcelona heading into the summer.

The German international is entering the final year of his contract at Bayern Munich, is a player that Flick knows very well, and would be open to joining the Catalans. However, his wages could be a hurdle in the deal.

Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)

Apart from Kimmich, Flick might also look to rope in another of his former wards from Bayern Munich and Germany in the form of Leroy Sane. The winger is entering the final year of his contract with the Bavarians and a renewal is yet to be agreed upon.

Barcelona have had their eyes on Sane for a while now and Flick’s arrival could give them an advantage if the Catalans decide to go after him.

Nico Williams (Athletic Club)

However, for the left flank, Athletic Club winger Nico Williams is seen as one of the main targets. So much so that, Barcelona are even contemplating Raphinha to raise the €60 million needed to sign the Spaniard.

The 21-year-old speedster would fit the profile that Barça are looking for, and given his age, would be a long-term investment for the club.

Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)

As for the right-back position, Joao Cancelo seemed likely to continue at Barcelona, but Flick has some doubts about him. Instead, Bayer Leverkusen ace Jeremie Frimpong is being viewed as an option as per sources close to Flick’s entourage.

The 23-year-old Dutch speedster enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso, being directly involved in 26 goals. He has been on the radars of Barça in the past and could again emerge as a target for the summer.

Amadou Onana (Everton)

While Kimmich is the main target for the No. 6 position, Barcelona also like Amadou Onana of Everton as an option. The Belgian has grown in stature in the Premier League and is attracting serious interest and sources suggest Flick sees him as an interesting option.

However, signing him could be a difficult task following Everton achieving safety in the Premier League. Furthermore, Onana’s sky-high valuation could put him beyond the Blaugrana’s reach.

Luis Diaz (Liverpool)

From one Premier League star to another, Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is also very much on the agenda of the new Barcelona management heading into the summer, with Deco even seeing him as a ‘dream’ target.

The Colombian international, however, would be hard to acquire as he would command a fee of at least €75 million – something that Barça are not in a position to afford unless there are multiple big departures.

Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig)

Another option to strengthen the left flank, Dani Olmo has been on Barcelona’s radars for some time now and it appears that Flick too sees his signing in favourable light.

A versatile player capable of operating anywhere in attack and even in midfield, the RB Leipzig ace has a €60 million release clause in his contract.

Mio Backhaus (Werder Bremen)

The Eredivisie goalkeeper of the season, Mio Backhaus is on the agenda at Barça, possibly as a long-term successor for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, especially with no guarantees that Inaki Pena will stay at the club.

The 20-year-old Backhaus spent the season on loan at FC Volendam and will be returning to his parent club Werder Bremen now. While a new goalkeeper might not be an immediate priority, the German youngster is being monitored.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

A player that has long been linked with Barça to reinforce the left wing, Kvaratskhelia is seen as an option by Flick as well, as per sources close to his entourage.

However, signing him from Napoli would be a herculean task as he has a contract until 2027 and will command a huge fee.

MADRID, May 27 — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente named Barcelona’s teenage stars Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi in a 29-man Euro 2024 squad list on Monday.

De la Fuente must cut three players before June 7 for the tournament that kicks off in Germany on June 14.

De la Fuente left out various players who have been involved in the last few years, including Marco Asensio, Gerard Moreno and Pablo Sarabia.

Yamal, 16, has burst into the limelight this season with Barcelona, along with 17-year-old centre-back Cubarsi.

“It’s a guarantee against any set-back that could happen in the Champions League final, or in training, that would generate a problem,” said the coach.

“They all have the same chance (of going), we will minimise risks, we have very versatile players.”

Spain, who won the European Championship in 1964, 2008 and 2012, reached the semi-finals of the last edition.

They are in a “group of death”, facing Italy, Croatia and Albania in Group B.

Before the tournament Spain face Andorra on June 5 and Northern Ireland on June 8 in friendlies.

Spain’s 29-man squad list:

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal/ENG)

Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr/KSA), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/ENG)

Midfielders: Rodri Hernandez (Manchester City/ENG), Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Pedri, Fermin Lopez (both Barcelona), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Aleix Garcia (Girona)

Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Joselu (Real Madrid), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig/GER), Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres (both Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ayoze Perez (Real Betis) — AFP

FC Barcelona have officially ended their 2023-24 season after having won their last La Liga game against Sevilla last night, but for most of its players, they still have some days of action left before they can start enjoying their summer vacations.

Traditionally, Spain has had the most heavy representation of Barcelona players in its squad. Thus, most of the Barcelona fans would have been waiting to see the squad that Luis de la Fuente calls up for the upcoming event, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Spanish coach has announced the preliminary squad for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2024.

These players include Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, and Fermin Lopez. While the former two have already made their debuts and shown their talents with their national team, this is the first time that Fermin Lopez has made it to this list.

On the other hand, the defender Inigo Martinez is not a part of this list, despite his impressive performances for Barcelona this season. Balde and Gavi, who are still recovering from their long-term injuries, are also expectedly not a part of this list.

Still, being on this list would be massive for Fermin Lopez, who has made a huge leap in the last year, when he was still yet to make his debut for Barcelona first team.

Being named in the preliminary list is a well-deserved recognition of the impressive season he has had so far, scoring 11 goals. Hopefully, he will be called up and contribute to his national team in EURO 2024 just as he has done for Barcelona.

It is only a matter of time before FC Barcelona officially announce the appointment of Hansi Flick as their new manager.

Last night’s game against Sevilla was Xavi Hernandez’s last assignment and the club are now working towards successfully agreeing terms on his severance.

Once that is out of the way, the appointment of Flick and his contract signing will be made official, sometime this week.

Contract details revealed

It has already been reported that Hansi Flick would be signing a two-year contract with FC Barcelona, with everything already agreed upon.

Now, journalist Jose Alvarez of El Chiringuito has come forth with more details about the contract of the German tactician.

As per the report, Flick will be earning a salary of €3 million net at Barcelona during his two-year contract tenure.

The former Bayern Munich manager will be allowed to bring in two assistants, with reports suggesting that they are likely to be Toni Tapalovic and Marcus Sorg, although it is not locked in yet.

A sea of changes beckons Barcelona

With Flick all set to take over, the German tactician is expected to bring in several changes to the way things are run at Barcelona.

For starters, there is a strong possibility that the Catalans would move to a 4-2-3-1 formation from their traditional 4-3-3.

The alteration in tactics would also likely entail a change in style of play as a more direct approach could be favoured.

Furthermore, the training sessions are likely to be packed with more intensity and drive, something that was a point of contention during Xavi’s reign.

As the summer transfer window gets closer and closer, Barcelona are already busy planning their squad for the next season with new manager Hansi Flick set to take charge imminently.

As has been well-established by now, the Blaugrana need to make a few important sales in the summer in order to improve their financial situation so that they can go after their intended targets.

Names like Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong have been doing the rounds as possible candidates to be sold to generate revenue.

At the same time, Robert Lewandowski’s name has also been linked with a possible exit as his wages are set to rise to €32 million next season, making him a liability for the club.

In fact, previous reports had even suggested that now-departed manager Xavi Hernandez had requested the club to make efforts to sell Lewandowski.

Lewandowski not going anywhere

However, now, according to Victor Navarro, Lewandowski will stay put at Barcelona next season and reunite with his former manager Hansi Flick.

The 35-year-old centre-forward, who was on target for Barça against Sevilla on Sunday, finished the season with 26 goals and nine assists from all competitions despite making an uncharacteristically slow start.

However, the former Bayern Munich centre-forward will continue in Catalonia and will be reunited with Flick, under whom he tasted great success in Bavaria.

Lewandowski on his future

In a recent interview, Lewandowski made it abundantly clear that he is not looking to leave Barcelona anytime soon and intends to win more titles with the club, saying:

“Yes, of course, for me it’s very clear. I want to win a lot of titles with Barcelona and I’m sure that next season we can play even stronger and win titles.

“I always want the best, not only for me but for my teammates and I am sure that this team can win titles next season because I see what we do every day. For me, it is more important because it is a club that I carry in my heart. I want to give a lot to the team.”

MADRID (AP) — Xavi Hernández ended his stint as Barcelona coach with a 2-1 win at Sevilla in the final round of the Spanish league on Sunday.

Robert Lewandowski and Fermin López scored for Barcelona, which announced Friday it was parting ways with the former midfielder with a year left on his contract.

“We didn’t want this to end, but these are decisions made by the club,” Xavi said. “We didn’t win titles but we were on the right track. But soccer is like this, the directors will make their decisions. The response by the players was wonderful.”

Barcelona players bid farewell to Xavi after the match.

“We will always wish Xavi the best,” goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. “He’s been a friend for many years and it’s not easy to let him go … He deserves the best.”

Barcelona had already clinched second place and a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia next season. It finished with four consecutive victories.

FC Barcelona manage to get a win in their final game of the season. La Blaugrana did not have anything at stake in this game in terms of La Liga standings, but they did have something else at stake. With Xavi Hernandez now having coached his final game for Barcelona, the team managed to give him a 2-1 victory to remember.

Here are the player ratings for Xavi’s Barcelona.

Player Ratings:

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 7.5

Barça’s first choice goalkeeper led Xavi’s team for the last time as Barcelona captain. His saves were reliable throughout the course of the game, but his ball-playing truly stood out in order to help Barcelona out against Sevilla.

The Portuguese fullback was quite the offensive threat, and made some great movements both on and off the ball. His defensive work was commendable tonight, and he also provided a stunning assist to Robert Lewandowski for his opener.

Inigo Martinez: 7.0

Despite his experience, Inigo Martinez ultimately faltered rather clumsily when Sevilla opened their scoring. However, apart from that one moment of frustration, the veteran Spaniard had a solid outing and was reliable both in terms of playing out from the back and defending as well.

Pau Cubarsi: 7.0

The youngster was just as important as Inigo Martinez in helping Barcelona keep Sevilla at bay. Still just a teenager, yet Pau Cubarsi’s maturity on a football field is still as commendable as ever.

One of the more dull performances from Jules Kounde this season, the Frenchman was hardly at the level that he usually is at. Mistakes both in attack and defense from him could have been much costlier for Barcelona by the end of the final whistle.

Andreas Christensen: 6.5

The Danish defender was once again key for Barcelona in the heart of the midfield. His performances as a pivot continue to impress, and it was only through his presence that the Catalans managed to maintain their structure as well as they did.

Ilkay Gundogan: 6.5

While the German midfielder may not have had his most prolific outing as a Barcelona player, he was still a reliable asset in midfield. From his passing to his retention in possession, Ilkay Gundogan was there to give Barça that extra bit of control.

Pedri was once again sensational with almost every touch he took. Even the first goal that Barcelona scored came through Pedri’s genius touch that allowed Joao Cancelo to get a lot of space. Beyond just the goal, the young Barcelona star was integral for the team both in chance creation and also defensively.

Fermin Lopez: 9.0

Brilliant work from the start of the game until his substitution, Fermin Lopez had quite the extraordinary outing. His passes, runs, and offensive attempts were all quite dangerous for Sevilla to deal with, and he ultimately got his goal with a brilliant strike from outside the box.

A solid outing for Robert Lewandowski, who was once again the Barcelona star who opened the scoring for his team. The Polish striker continues to score, and while he may not have won the Pichichi this time around, he possible gives some level of excitement to incoming manager Hansi Flick with his recent scoring form.

Lamine Yamal: 7.5

Creating chances out of nothing, taking on multiple Sevilla defenders at the same time, Lamine Yamal was quite the watch for as long as he was on the field. While he may not have gotten a goal or assist as he would have hoped for, Yamal was a headache for Sevilla to deal with.

Oriol Romeu: 6.0

Did not have much of an impact in proceedings, but looked quite fresh and helped out the team in the second half as he looked to disarm any potential Sevilla attacks.

Ferran Torres: 5.5

Playing from the right wing, Ferran Torres was hardly effective. Despite creating a few good openings for his teammates, not the most convincing of performances.

Joao Felix: 5.0

Tried a few acrobatic attempts while he looked to work his magic whenever he could. Could not do too much, however.

Vitor Roque: N/A

Not enough influence or time in the game to warrant a rating.

Hector Fort: N/A

Not enough influence or time in the game to warrant a rating.

Barcelona took all three points from their final La Liga game of the season after securing a 2-1 win over Sevilla.

The fixture marked Xavi’s final game in charge of La Blaugrana after it was announced that the Spanish boss would part ways with the Catalan giants.

Barca had already guaranteed themselves a second place finish, but aimed to send departing manager Xavi off with a victory.

How the game unfolded

Barca wasted no time on the attack, as Pedri stole the ball just outside the box before driving up the left to pick out Lamine Yamal. The teenager attempted a shot on target, but it landed in front of Kike Salas, who made a crucial block.

A goal came for Xavi’s side just 10 minutes later, as Joao Cancelo tapped a perfect cross into the back post, where Robert Lewandowski was able to finish the strike and put the Catalan giants ahead.

Sevilla were quick to equalise, with Youssef En-Nesyri receiving the ball to force a clinical finish into the back of the net, beating Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the near post.

When play resumed in the second-half Barcelona looked to chase their chance to lead once again, pressing the Sevilla side and applying pressure up the pitch.

Fermin Lopez, who looked as if he’d been searching for a goal, found the back of the net after receiving a pass from Ilkay Gundogan. His powerful strike flew into the bottom corner and firmly places Barca back into the lead.

Barca continued to look dominant on the ball, claiming the most possession as Sevilla only looked to gain advantage on the counter-attack.

The visitors showed enough effort to secure a win over the hosts, and travel home having earnt a second place finish in the league.

The scoreline would also have impressed departing manager Xavi, who will hang up his hat with a final victory in La Liga.

Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)

RB: Jules Kounde – 5/10 – Tried to find his rhythm as a fullback and played a very high line. Did make a few mistakes, mainly when trying to keep the ball.

CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6/10 – Improvements can be made in his game, but for such a young player Cubarsi offers so much for the Barca side. His defence was admirable against Sevilla’s attack, and in some cases better than his teammates.

CB: Inigo Martinez – 5/10 – Made a few costly mistakes, especially when trying to stop En-Nesyri from scoring early on. Struggled to break down Sevilla’s attack.

The last game of the Spanish league season kicked off tonight at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Sevilla hosted Barcelona. It was also Xavi’s last game coaching Barcelona, and the emotions were running high even before kick off.

Barcelona started the game on the front-foot, and scored through Robert Lewandowski in the 15th minute after an excellent move with Pedri and Joao Cancelo combining.

Youssef En-Nesyri equalised 15 minute later, though, after which defending almost became optional for both teams.

Barcelona took the game by the scruff of its neck in the second half, though, with Fermin Lopez coming up clutch with a superb goal from outside the box into the bottom left corner.

The two goals were enough for Barcelona to sail through to the three points as Xavi got a win on his farewell.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6

Made an excellent save off Lukebakio’s effort, but had no business conceding Youssef En-Nesyri’s goal between his legs. Should have done better.