Xavi has said his goodbyes to his staff and players at Al-Sadd after finally agreeing a deal to take over as Barcelona manager.
Al-Sadd kicked off Friday with the announcement that an agreement had been reached to send Xavi back to Camp Nou, but that was met with confusion from those in charge at Barcelona as they had not agreed to the terms of his release just yet.
Barcelona denied claims from the Qatari side that they had paid Xavi's €5m release clause, but later in the day, an agreement was reached which will see Barcelona pay €2.5m themselves, with Xavi also agreeing to do €2.5m worth of ambassadorial work for Al-Sadd over the coming years.
He was spotted saying his farewells to Al-Sadd earlier in the day, and now Mundo Deportivo state all the details have been finalised and Xavi will board a plane on Saturday to return to Spain.
Official confirmation of the move is not expected just yet. Instead, Barcelona are waiting until their lawyers have finished with the paperwork and everything is 100% official before making it formal.
Confirmed. Here Xavi’s farewell with Al-Sadd players and staff as he’s leaving the club to become new Barcelona manager. ??? #FCB #Xavi pic.twitter.com/Q4SGBQhID5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 5, 2021
Xavi will be presented to the fans at Camp Nou on Monday, when all the details of the agreement are expected to be confirmed.
The legendary midfielder had hoped to get the deal done in time to watch Barcelona in action against Celta Vigo on Saturday, but the delay in negotiations may prevent Xavi from getting over to Spain in time.
However, he will then have two weeks with some of his players during the upcoming international break, after which Espanyol will present Xavi with his first challenge.
This article was originally published on 90min as Xavi says goodbye to Al-Sadd ahead of Barcelona move.
Source: www.90min.com