Al-Sadd director claims Xavi deal

The ex-Spain international was already close to leaving Barcelona last year before eventually staying put, but now appears to be on his way out of Camp Nou after all

Barcelona legend Xavi is set to leave the Primera Division leaders to sign for Al-Sadd this summer, according to the Qatari club's sporting director.

The 35-year-old was close to leaving Barcelona ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, but eventually elected to remain at Camp Nou following talks with head coach Luis Enrique.

Rumours of a move away from his long-time home re-surfaced over the last couple of weeks, with a move to the MLS as a potential option, too.

However, sharing pictures of Xavi in Qatar on social media, first-team manager Abdullah Al-Berik has claimed Xavi will continue his career at Al Sadd.

"Al Sadd have just managed to sign Barcelona captain Xavi and this is a picture of him with sporting director Muhammed Ghoulam," he wrote on Instagram.