Laporta: "Xavi's renewal? The priority now is to strengthen the team"
The president reiterated that the club is focussing all its efforts on the summer transfer window
Barça president Joan Laporta took part in the LaLiga gala on Monday, where he took the opportunity to showcase the reconciliation with the head of the governing body, Javier Tebas. This was announced a few days ago during an interview with Esports 3's 'Onze' programme.
In that interview, Laporta said that the renewal of Xavi Hernández had been put on hold until next season's squad had been put together. And tonight he has reaffirmed his decision to put aside, for the time being, negotiations with the coach.
"The priority now is to build the team, improve it as much as possible, and when we can have this moment of peace, we will deal with his contract," reiterated Laporta. He added that the agreement is practically closed: "He is a coach who understands perfectly the circumstances of the club, apart from being a great coach. There will be no problem in this regard."
Both parties have expressed their willingness to extend on multiple occasions. The club took the first step by tabling an offer after the league derby against Real Madrid, which almost sealed the La Liga title.
Everything points towards Xavi extending his contract until 2026. Neither side is in any hurry to make the deal official. Xavi wants the club's focus to be on reducing the wage bill, improving the Financial Fair Play standing and reinforcing the squad in the best possible way.
All current efforts are geared towards defending the league title and making it to the latter stages of the Champions League next season.
