Hansi Flick has arrived in Barcelona, poised to become the new head coach of the Catalan club.
The German manager is set to replace Xavi Hernández, who managed his final game against Sevilla on Sunday.
Flick, 59, has been out of a job since being dismissed as Germany’s national team coach last September.
He arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday with his agent, Pini Zahavi, to finalize the details of his new position.
According to sources from ESPN, Flick will sign a two-year contract, which will be officially announced once Xavi’s departure is confirmed.
Barça president Joan Laporta has long admired Flick, having initially considered him to replace Ronald Koeman in 2021.
However, Flick was then committed to taking over the German national team after his tenure with Bayern Munich.
Negotiations between Barcelona and Flick resumed earlier this year when Xavi announced in January his intention to step down in
the summer. Flick’s prospects of securing the position seemed dim in April when Barça stated that Xavi would see out his contract, which lasted until 2025.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn last week when Laporta decided to part ways with Xavi and seek a new coach.
Flick, who served as Joachim Low’s assistant with the German national team, achieved significant success at Bayern Munich, including winning the treble in 2020.
His tenure with the Germany national team was less successful, leading to his dismissal in 2023 following poor results and a group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup.
In other news, defender Héctor Fort has extended his contract with Barcelona until 2026.
The 17-year-old has made 10 first-team appearances since his debut earlier this season.