Barcelona 'on verge of appointing Xavi as head coach'

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Xavi as head coach.

The 41-year-old quickly emerged as the leading candidate to replace Ronald Koeman, who was relieved of his duties at Camp Nou last week following the 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.

Xavi has a contract with Al-Sadd until after the 2022 World Cup, and Barcelona have been locked in talks with the Qatari outfit over releasing the legendary midfielder.

According to Goal, the Catalan club's vice-president Rafa Yuste and director of football Mateu Alemany have travelled to Doha to hold talks with Al-Sadd chiefs.

The report claims that Barcelona are now confident of appointing Xavi as the team's new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract, with an announcement likely to arrive next week.

Sergi Barjuan is currently in charge of the first team on an interim basis and is expected to remain in the role for Saturday's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo.

Xavi made 767 appearances for Barcelona between 1998 and 2015 before joining Al-Sadd, where he played for four seasons before taking over as manager.