Laporta and Koeman reunited for first time since Barça coach backed

Laporta and Koeman reunited for first time since Barça coach backed

Koeman / | sport

The Dutchman almost left Barcelona in the summer before the president decided to keep him

Joan Laporta and Ronald Koeman were reunited on Thursday at a golf tournament carrying the Dutch coach's name, the Koeman Cup by Sportium, with the Hospital Materno Intantil de Sant Joan de Déu benefitting from the event.

The meeting took place at Barcelona Golf Club, where the tournament will get underway this Friday with the participation of Pep Guardiola, Bernd Schuster, Riqui Puig and Henrik Larsson.

There was a good vibe between the coach and the president at they embraced almost a month on from Laporta confirming Koeman would remain in charge of Barça despite previously admitting he had doubts.

Laporta also responded to La Liga president Javier Tebas' comments that he didn't know if Messi would be registered in time for the start of the season given he's not signed a new deal with Barça yet.

The Barça chief said he was "very relaxed" and reiterated that negotiations over a new deal are "going well."

Back to the meeting between Koeman and Laporta, it showed that the relationship is still good despite the doubts over the summer.

The two can now prepare for next season with Barça busy this summer. Èric Garcia, Sergio Agüero, Memphis Depay and Emerson Royal have already signed with Júnior Firpo, Jean Claire Todibo, Francisco Trincao, Carles Aleñá, Mattheus Fernández, Juan Miranda and Konrad de la Fuente among those gone or in the process of leaving.

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