Barcelona look set to appoint former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Hansi Flick this week, as they negotiate with Xavi Hernandez and his staff a redundancy package. Flick seemed to become the clear favourite for the job last week, but there was little clarity on the matter for months.
Going into last week, Barca Atletic manager Rafael Marquez was considered the other favourite for the job alongside Flick, with the German eventually winning out for a variety of reasons. He was not their top choice initially though. According to Sport, back in February after Xavi had announced his resignation this summer, Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique was identified as their number one choice.
🚨 Kounde has many suitors in the Premier League, including Chelsea, who still dream of signing him. @gbsans
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 28, 2024
The former number one choice has been noted as one of the options that Sporting Director Deco was keen on, but with a contract at PSG until 2025, it as apparent that he would not be available. It has been suggested that if things do not work out with Hansi Flick, then Barcelona may move for one of Luis Enrique or Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, both of which are out of contract next summer.
