Xavi wants Barcelona comeback, Al Sadd yet to agree

Xavi Hernandez has made it clear that he wants to become the new head coach of FC Barcelona after categorically stating "I want to go home" after Al Sadd's recent 3-3 draw against Al Duhail. The Catalan club have been in talks with the Qatari outfit for a number of days now but are yet to reach an agreement over the release.

The Spanish coach has a contract with Al Sadd until 2023 and they remain reluctant to let him leave midway through the campaign. The CEO of the Qatari outfit put out a statement acknowledging the arrival of the Barcelona contingent to negotiate a deal, but made it clear that they are yet to change their position.

"We welcome the visit of the administrative delegation from Barcelona, ​​and we appreciate and respect this," Turki Al-Ali said. "The club's position is clear from the beginning - we are committed to keeping our coach Xavi with us and we cannot have him leave at this sensitive time of the season."

Xavi remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached after confirming that he has reached an agreement with his former club about taking over from Ronald Koeman. The 41-year-old expressed his excitement at being able to return to his homeland and wants to bring the happy days back to the Camp Nou.

"I've been talking to Barça for days, everything is ready. The two clubs know my position and I hope it will be solved soon," Xavi said, as quoted on Spanish publication Sport. "I am very excited to return home, I hope it happens. Returning to Barcelona would be spectacular, of course, it would be exciting."

"The two clubs are in talks. I can't say much more, but I'm a positive person. It's a matter of common sense. They have to agree. We have to make a team. Going back would be an exciting step in my career. We will see if it ends up happening."

Al-Sadd captain Abdelkarim Hassan seems to think that Xavi will leave the club in the coming days and thanked him for helping the club reach important milestones. He admits that it is difficult for a manager to turn down an opportunity to coach a "big team" like Barcelona.

"Everyone is sad because of Xavi's departure, but he will coach a big team like Barcelona," Hassan said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "Xavi presented a new idea to Qatari football and Al-Sadd players and helped us as a great player and coach, and his ideas led us to achieve a lot despite the criticism. We will miss him a lot."

It is widely expected that Barcelona are close to reaching an agreement with Al Sadd to bring Xavi back to the Camp Nou. The hierarchy of the Qatar club have asked for privacy when it comes to the negotiations, despite publicly claiming that Xavi will stay at the club.