Barcelona remain hopeful of convincing Xavi Hernandez to reconsider his decision to leave the club at the end of the season. At this stage, that seems to be his main goal, rather than looking for a replacement for the 44-year-old, who continues to declare that his time in Catalonia will end in the summer.
That could be the reason why Rafa Marquez has been lined up as a possible successor to Xavi, if Joan Laporta, Deco and the rest could not be convinced to stay for another 12 months. Sport have reported that Barcelona have added the current coach of Barca Atletic to their managerial list, as they value his work in the reserve team, and his knowledge of the youth academy and the youngsters who are already successful in the first team.
Marquez was initially overlooked as an option to succeed Xavi, but now it seems he could be back on the agenda. It would certainly be a risky move for Barcelona to name it, despite his success with Barca Atletic this season.
