SETTABLOID

After a harrowing defeat to Villarreal, which saw Barcelona concede five goals on home soil, manager Xavi Hernandez announced his decision to leave at the end of the season.

At that point in time, there was a widespread belief that it was perhaps best for both parties to go their separate ways, given Barça’s string of poor performances.

However, since then, the Catalan giants have experienced a resurgence in their form, not losing a single game and throwing shades of the team that Xavi steered to a La Liga trophy.

Owing to the newfound stability in Barcelona’s performances, Joan Laporta and co. appear to be in favour of Xavi’s continuity, so much so that Laporta publicly declared his intention of retaining the 44-year-old coach.

While Xavi has shown no inkling of reversing his decision, according to SER, at the club, they would never rule out his stay depending on the results of the season.

If Barcelona perform impressively in the Champions League and execute a late title charge for La Liga, Xavi may be encouraged to stick around.

Barcelona continues to be hopeful because a comparable instance happened in the past.

President Josep Luis Nunez spent eight more years with the Blaugranes after he had announced his departure three days before Barcelona became the inaugural champions in 1992.

As such, if Barcelona triumph over PSG in the quarter-finals, defeat one of Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals and end up lifting the trophy at Wembley, history could repeat itself.

Time will tell if Xavi opts to extend his tenure with Barcelona or stays true to his word. The upcoming clash against PSG could provide an answer.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is set to play in El Clásico against Real Madrid on April 21 after his one-game suspension was confirmed by La Liga’s competition committee.

The Polish international was shown a yellow card for timewasting during his substitution in the win over Las Palmas on Saturday and there was some speculation that the striker could be handed a two-game ban for intentionally getting himself suspended for the clash against Cádiz so he could be available for the trip to Madrid, but no further action was taken and the standard one-game suspension was upheld.

Lewandowski is one of three Barça stars not available to face Cádiz due to yellow card accumulation, as João Cancelo and Iñigo Martínez are also banned after being booked at the weekend.

The three players will be available for El Clásico, and perhaps more importantly will not play extra minutes in between the two Champions League quarter-final clashes with Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona find themselves in a tricky situation heading into the summer with regard to their managerial position.

Xavi Hernandez has announced that he will leave once the season is over and has showed no indication that his decision will change, even though the club administration, led by Joan Laporta, is eager to convince him to stay.

A number of possible replacement options have been linked, such as Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel, Roberto De Zerbi, and Julian Nagelsmann, but none of them generates total consensus at the club.

Amidst all this, a new name has been added to Barcelona’s agenda as a prospective candidate to replace Xavi in the summer.

Indeed, as per SPORT, Barcelona are attentive to the situation of AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola heading into the summer.

Iraola, 41, a former Athletic Club footballer, has been in management for six years now, having started out at AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, before coaching CD Mirandes in the Spanish lower decision for a year.

Iraola then spent three years as the manager of Rayo Vallecano between 2020 and 2023, where his work earned recognition, leading to a move to Bournemouth last summer.

Upon arrival, many predicted Iraola’s Cherries to get relegated from the Premier League, but the 41-year-old has done a solid job in England thus far and is earning rave reviews for his work.

Iraola’s Bournemouth are currently 11th in the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea, and just seven points shy of sixth-placed Manchester United and four behind West Ham United in seventh.

As such, a possible European football spot could be on the cards for Bournemouth if they finish the season strongly.

Not only with the team’s position, but the work that Iraola has done can also be gauged by the improvement shown by some of his players, such as Dominic Solanke.

The striker is enjoying his best-ever campaign in the Premier League with 16 goals and is the joint second-highest scorer along with Mohamed Salah and Ollie Watkins.

A number of top clubs across Europe have taken note of Iraola and Barcelona are also understood to be keeping tabs on the 41-year-old.

For now, though, Laporta & co. remain intent on convincing Xavi to stay put.

It has become a regular occurrence for Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez to regularly call up fresh faces from the club’s academy ranks to first-team training in the ongoing campaign.

Over the course of the season, the likes of Pau Prim, Mika Faye, Mamadou Mbacke, and Unai Hernandez, among several others have all trained under Xavi while continuing to play for the youth and reserve teams.

It has become a regular occurrence for Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez to regularly call up fresh faces from the club’s academy ranks to first-team training in the ongoing campaign.

Over the course of the season, the likes of Pau Prim, Mika Faye, Mamadou Mbacke, and Unai Hernandez, among several others have all trained under Xavi while continuing to play for the youth and reserve teams.

On Wednesday, Xavi handed a first call-up to another young prospect in the form of Alexis Olmedo to the Barcelona senior training session, reports SPORT.

Indeed, the 18-year-old defensive prospect was called up to train with the first-team squad for the first time ever by the Barcelona manager.

Olmedo participated in today’s session along with other youngsters like the aforementioned Prim, Mbacke, and Marc Casado.

Born in 2006, Olmedo has been at the Barcelona youth academy since a young age, having joined from Gimnastic Manresa.

The 18-year-old is part of the Barcelona Juvenil A setup, but has been working with the Barça Atletic squad under Rafa Marquez.

In fact, the teenage centre-back has featured in the last two matches for the reserve team after having spent close to four months on the sidelines due to an injury.

A centre-back by trade, Olmedo can also play at right-back as he did for Juvenil A in the UEFA Youth League this season, even scoring a goal.

Olmedo stands out for his anticipation in defensive actions, and his good ball control. In addition, he is a powerful player in the air and can be a threat from set-pieces.

Barcelona and PSG will face off on the field twice over the next month in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

Only one of the two European giants can make it to the next stage, and the Catalans’ recent resurgence in form only makes the tie closer.

The two clubs, however, are also involved in several tussles off the field. According to reports from SPORT, the Parisiens have their eyes on up to five Catalan players as targets for the summer.

Paris Saint-Germain have shown a particular interest in signing the Blaugranas’ young defender Hector Fort who has made quite the impression with the first team.

As a player capable of playing on both extremes of defence and even as a centre-back, Barcelona value him for his versatility and age.

In a meeting two weeks ago, they made it clear to PSG that they are not willing to let go of the youngster.

Apart from the La Masia defender, PSG also have their eyes on the two crown jewels of the academy, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal. The duo, however, will not be sold under any circumstances and have been granted the ‘untouchable’ status.                                                                                                                                                                                 In the same meeting where Barcelona and PSG discussed the name of Hector Fort, the topic of Jules Kounde’s future also popped up.

In this case, however, Barça opened the door to negotiate the Frenchman’s future with PSG should an appropriate offer arrive.

The Azulgranas signed the centre-back for €50 million plus another €12.5 million in variables just in 2022, and the amortisation of his signing is still under 50%.

Selling him at this stage will improve the team’s financial fair play and help Barcelona edge closer to the 1:1 rule.

The final player whom Luis Enrique’s side are eyeing is Barcelona’s Dutch midfield sensation Frenkie de Jong.

While he is currently a vital part of the team, the administration does not rule out a sale should a tempting offer arrive.

It is no secret that Xavi’s future at Barcelona is uncertain, despite the manager’s earlier declaration that he would not stay past this season.

With the club struggling to find a replacement, a report from SPORT suggests they might not have to look far as Rafa Marquez is reportedly gaining traction within the Barcelona board, potentially positioning him as a candidate should Xavi depart.

The outlet mentions that Barcelona highly value his contributions to the reserve team, as well as his expertise with the youth squad.

Above all, his mentorship of talented youngsters has not gone unnoticed as most of them are now making waves in the first team.

If we were in February right now, Barcelona thinking of Marquez would have appeared unlikely, but if Xavi does not stay, the youth team coach is being considered as a viable option.

The aforementioned outlet confirms that the club is thrilled with the exceptional work being done by the Mexcian.

They appreciate his deep understanding of the club’s ethos and his knack for nurturing young talent, many of  whom have gone on to shine in the first team.

Interestingly enough, Marquez enjoys the backing of Joan Laporta as he was handpicked by the top brass of the Blaugrana entity to helm Barça Atletic last season.

This season, his team has gone undefeated for 11 games straight, positioning them at the second spot of Group 1 in the First RFEF, making promotion seem within reach.

Meanwhile, despite some controversy surrounding his association with a betting company, which is currently under investigation by the club’s Integrity department, Marquez’s stature within Laporta’s inner circle remains solid.

His leadership and adeptness at navigating through unexpected player absences due to international duty or injuries have earned him respect.

Quietly but steadily, the Mexican continues to make strides from the sidelines, positioning at the top as Barcelona continue to monitor his development.

A headline member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona reiterated his commitment to the cause with a view to the final months of the season on Tuesday.

Front man Ferran, of course, is fresh off marking his return to the pitch this past weekend.

After spending a full two months on the sidelines owing to a hamstring injury, the Spanish international was introduced off the bench, en route to Barcelona’s hard-fought victory over Las Palmas.

Despite his recent spell out of action, Ferran remains the Blaugrana’s 2nd top scorer across the season to date, trailing only Robert Lewandowski when it comes to finding the net.

And, amid strong competition for places in the final third in Xavi’s squad, the former Manchester City man, evidently, is eager to get back firing on all cylinders as quickly as possible.

In turn, as revealed by David Ibáñez of El Desmarque, Ferran was spotted in attendance at Barcelona’s training ground on Tuesday.

Why is this of note? Xavi’s squad had actually been granted a day of rest.

Also present at the Ciudad Deportiva, meanwhile, were all of Gavi, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen, amid their respective injury recovery plans.

Following a narrow win over Las Palmas, Barcelona have ample time to prepare for their Champions League quarterfinal encounter against Paris Saint-Germain on April 10.

PSG, though, appear to have already kickstarted their scouting mission and may even raid Barça this summer.

According to Catalunya Radio, PSG have set their sights on Jules Kounde and Hector Fort ahead of the UCL tie against Barcelona.

The French champions, quite evidently, are looking for reinforcements in the defensive unit, especially after a series of injuries to key players throughout the season.

To that end, PSG have identified Kounde and Fort as potential candidates, as Luis Enrique looks to beef up his options at the back.

Kounde, who has largely been utilised as a right-back at Barcelona, is regarded as one of France’s best defensive talents. His versatility could come in handy for PSG next season.

Fort, meanwhile, is one of multiple La Masia products making a breakthrough this season. A right-back by trade, the youngster possesses immense potential and could be one for the future.

The report adds that PSG and Barcelona have held talks in recent weeks regarding Kounde and Fort.

Barcelona, though, made it clear that they do not want to consider any offers for Fort, who is seen as a future prospect in the right-back unit.

As for Kounde, however, it appears Barça are ready to hold talks with the French champions, knowing the Frenchman may yield significant revenue.

Kounde, due to his age and potential, does indeed have a high valuation. Moreover, the Catalans might not require his services going forward, should Fort make a bigger breakthrough next season.

Keeping that in mind, it seems Barcelona are not completely ruling out the sale of Kounde, who will certainly be one of the players in focus as the two teams lock horns on April 10.