By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Qatar’s Al Sadd announced Friday an agreement with Barcelona for Xavi Hernandez’s move to the Spanish football club as manager.
"The Al Sadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract," Al-Sadd CEO Turki Al-Al said on Twitter.
“We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future. Xavi is an important part of Al-Sadd’s history and we wish him success,” he added.
"Xavi informed us a few days ago of his desire to go to Barcelona at this particular time, because of the critical stage his hometown club is going through, and we understand this and decided not to stand in his way," he added.
Xavi helped claim eight Spanish La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues titles as a player for Barca before a short spell in Qatar prior to his retirement in 2019.
The 41-year-old has coached Al Sadd since his bowing out as a player in 2019.