Barcelona have informed boss Ernesto Valverde that he has been sacked with now just an official announcement missing.
That is according to multiple reports including from ESPN and Catalunya Radio, who claim that the Coach was told at the club’s training facilities on Monday.
Reports say that Valverde has already cleared his belongings out of the club and will now be allowed to say his goodbyes to the staff and players.
It would be the first time that Barcelona have sacked a Coach in the middle of a season since Louis Van Gaal in 2003 – when they were 20 points behind Real Sociedad, and eventually finished sixth.
It had been said earlier on MOnday that Valverde’s position in the Camp Nou hotseat is in serious danger after a lengthy meeting on Sunday night between those in charge of the club.
Josep Maria Bartomeu – the club’s president – is now due to meet Valverde today in another crunch meeting after talking with the club’s CEO Oscar Grau, transfer chief Eric Abidal, his assistant Ramon Planes and Javier Bordas.
The meeting is said to have began at 9pm on Sunday evening after Abidal and Grau returned from Qatar, where they unsuccessfully tried to persuade Xavi Hernandez to accept the managerial position.
However, Xavi said he had no intention of joining the club in the middle of the season but did leave the door open for a summer move, leading the club to reassess their options.
Mauricio Pochettino – who worked with Ramon Planes at both Espanyol and Tottenham – is said to be in the frame, while former Real Betis Coach Quique Setien and current Estudiantes de La Plata boss Gabriel Milito – a former Barcelona defender – also in the frame.
