After his arrival in the United States of America was delayed by visa issues, Xavi Hernandez has been able to regain control of affairs at Barcelona.
One of the most pressing issues on the agenda is the outgoing transfers. Taking precedence above all are those of Dutch duo Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay. On his arrival in the US, Xavi and the club’s hierarchy held a meeting to discuss both issues, as per Sport.
De Jong has been the subject of significant interest from Manchester United and latterly Chelsea, but is reluctant to leave. Depay is equally reticent about a departure, but understands that he will find minutes hard to come by next season due to the competition up front.
Until now, Xavi has been relatively uninvolved in the exit operation at Camp Nou, remaining complementary of de Jong in particular. The Barcelona manager has always publicly maintained that he wants to keep de Jong at the club.
Yet in the coming days, Xavi will sit down with de Jong and Depay to discuss their situations. The club believe that with a little help from Xavi, both will accept a departure.
Certainly from Xavi’s point of view, it represents a point of no return. Should he finally express a wish for them to leave, things could get ugly if either player point blank refuses.
