Barcelona are considering dismissing head coach Xavi.
The 44-year-old had announced in January that he would step down at the end of the season but was convinced to stay by club president Joan Laporta.
However, recent comments made by Xavi at a news conference have reportedly upset the club’s board, who now believe the former Spain midfielder should leave.
Barcelona B team manager Rafael Marquez is the leading candidate to replace him.
Before Thursday’s away win at Almeria, Xavi expressed concerns about the club’s ability to compete financially with rivals Real Madrid and other top European teams.
“I think that Barca fans need to understand that the situation is really difficult, especially economically, to compete with Real Madrid in Spain and others in Europe,” he said., external
“We will adapt to this. It doesn’t mean that we don’t want to fight to compete and fight for trophies. It is the situation for Barcelona at this time. We need stability and time.”
Real Madrid have already clinched the La Liga title this season, are in the Champions League final, and are set to sign French striker Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Barcelona are 14 points behind Real Madrid in the league with two games left.
Xavi took charge in November 2021 after leaving Qatari club Al Sadd and led Barca to the Spanish title in his first full season in 2022-23.
This season, Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage after losing to PSG.