Xavi ready to thwart Liverpool and Man Utd plans if Barcelona icon replaces Ronald Koeman

Steve Bruce leaves position as Newcastle head coach

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Barcelona icon Xavi has been tipped to return to the club as manager if the Catalonians sack Ronald Koeman. Barca are a lowly seventh in the La Liga table and have lost their opening two Champions League games of the campaign.

And if Xavi does take the top job at the Nou Camp, he could be about to thwart the plans of Manchester United and Liverpool by handing Ousmane Dembele a new contract.

Dembele has been linked with a move to the Premier League after his agent supposedly made contact with the English powerhouses.

The 24-year-old’s current deal expires next summer but, according to Barca Universal, Xavi would want the player to start as one of the side’s wingers under his leadership.

Dembele arrived at the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 after the Spanish giants shelled out a staggering £135.5million for him.

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But his time at Barca has been plagued by injury and he has missed a huge amount of games due to a recurring hamstring problem.

Despite his injury issues, Dembele is still a prodigious talent and a whole host of clubs will be interested in signing the player on a free next summer.

Dembele has a £337m (€400m) release clause in his contract and clubs will be licking their lips at the prospect of landing him for nothing.

The attacker was part of France’s Euro 2020 squad this summer but his tournament was cut short after he hobbled off in Les Bleus second match against Hungary.

Dembele, who has 27 caps for his country, has not played since then and underwent knee surgery in June.

But current Barca boss Koeman will be hoping to call on him in the coming weeks, with the player close to a return to fitness.

Xavi spent nearly 25 years with Barcelona as a player and has already turned down the job of manager on two separate occasions.

The 41-year-old won eight La Liga titles and three Spanish Cups during his time at the Nou Camp.

He also lifted the Champions League trophy on four occasions as the Catalonians enjoyed a prolonged spell of dominance.

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The former midfielder won an incredible 133 caps for Spain and helped his country lift the World Cup in 2010 as well as the European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Xavi ended his playing days in the Middle East with Al-Sadd, before hanging up his boots to take over as boss two years ago.

Last season, he led his side to the Qatar Stars League title and the side are top of the table once again this season after winning their opening six matches of the campaign.

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