THE 4 BARCELONA STARS XAVI ‘WANTED TO MOVE ON’ BEFORE SACKING

In fact, as per the aforementioned ESPN, the 44-year-old had decided upon four players whom he felt were surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou moving forward.

One should come as little surprise, in the form of the seldom-seen Vitor Roque, albeit with fellow frontman Robert Lewandowski’s inclusion on the shortlist an altogether more noteworthy one.

Finally, Xavi was ready to bid farewell to loan pair João Félix and João Cancelo, of the opinion that neither did enough to prove themselves worthy of staying put beyond the season’s close.