Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.
Future of Barcelona coach will depend on offers this summer
There was a time during the recent months, between when Xavi announced his exit and Wednesday, when it seemed certain, that Rafael Marquez would be the next manager of Barcelona. He was the number one candidate to replace Xavi for certain.
Barcelona liked his style of work, he speaks the language, he knows exactly what Barcelona means as a club, he is working very well with the youngsters. It seemed like a decision that had been made.
Then in the last few days, with Xavi changing his decision – we reported the meeting that was to be held on Wednesday exclusively – where the feeling Laporta had changed. Above all, the club understood that perhaps Xavi could stay in the end.
Marquez has a contract that expires, they are negotiating the renewal, they still don’t have it done, but Barcelona want him to stay as they think he’s the perfect person to keep developing the project at Barca Atletic. No doubt he is probably disappointed, they spoke with him about it, Deco is delighted with his work, but until Xavi had made his mind up, everything was on the table.
It’s possible he has offers, but one thing is teams sounding out someone, and another is an actual offer. There are teams that are impressed with his work though. For now, he is focused on Barcelona and the project, but it will depend on the offers that arrive for him this summer, and what type of offers they are.
Barcelona could seal new contract as a result of Xavi decision
We have spoken a lot about Hector Fort in recent months. The continuity of Xavi will mean that Fort will almost certainly renew his deal, and the decision to stick with him is a signal that Barcelona will continue to prioritise bringing the youngsters.
We should keep an eye on what happens with Vitor Roque, who is not playing much with Xavi. We will see what happens with him, regarding Ronald Araujo, the situation does not change as a result of Xavi’s decision.
With Xavi, his key priority is a top pivot for midfield, he wants something different to what he has currently, so perhaps that is the main consequence in terms of their transfer plans, that it continues to be a priority.
Luka Modric renewal still shrouded in uncertainty
Regarding Luka Modric, no decision has been taken. They are working on other renewals, they know that Nacho wants to leave the club, and in recent days they have sped up talks with Lucas Vazquez. It could well be that those talks reach a conclusion in the coming days if everything goes as Real Madrid expect.
There is still uncertainty over Modric. Truthfully, I think Modric wants to know what Real Madrid see for him in terms of his role next season, and Real Madrid want to know what Luka wants. But that conversation is still to be had.
