Man Utd: ‘Surprise’ raid on Barcelona tipped ‘to convince’ Ratcliffe’s ‘ideal choice’ to replace Ten Hag

Manchester United reportedly ‘want’ former FC Barcelona boss Xavi to replace Erik ten Hag and they have hatched a plan to ‘convince’ him to accept the job.

Ten Hag is under immense pressure as he is the favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked ahead of Man Utd’s trip to face Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Man Utd have lost three of their opening six Premier League matches, while they have drawn their first two Europa League group matches.

On Friday evening, a report from The Athletic revealed Man Utd chiefs have ‘scheduled a meeting’ on Tuesday . It remains to be seen whether Ten Hag’s future will be discussed, but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to attend the Aston Villa match.

Ten Hag was fortunate to keep his job after Man Utd finished eighth in the Premier League last season, but it is now surely only a matter of time before he is dismissed.

A close friend of the Dutchman “advised” him to quit after he won the FA Cup last season. Instead, he could be shown the door by Ratcliffe and co. if United do not earn a positive result against Aston Villa.

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Man Utd are already being linked with several potential replacements and a report in Spain claims they ‘want’ Xavi as the ex-Barcelona is ‘high on their list’.

Xavi has been out of work since leaving La Liga giants Barcelona at the end of last season. He helped them win La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana during the 2022/23 campaign.

The Red Devils are said to be ‘exploring alternatives’ and the Xavi has emerged as Ratcliffe’s ‘ideal choice’. It’s claimed they are ‘interested’ in the 44-year-old and ‘could sign a Barcelona star to convince him’ to replace Ten Hag.

It is suggested that ‘the club would be willing to make an extra effort to convince the Catalan coach and one of the most surprising moves could be the signing of Fermin Lopez’.

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The Spain central midfielder progressed through the ranks at Barcelona. He scored eight goals in his La Liga appearances last season as he impressed under Xavi.

The 21-year-old has missed recent matches with a muscle injury, but he did not start any of Barcelona’s opening four La Liga matches.

Barcelona ‘do not want to lose’ Lopez, but Man Utd are reportedly ‘willing to make a considerable offer’.

‘Manchester United, aware of the close relationship between Xavi and Fermín Lpez, would see in his possible signing a way to seduce the coach to agree to lead his project.

‘The English club has been following the Barcelona midfielder closely and would be willing to put a considerable offer on the table to secure his services. However, FC Barcelona are clear that they do not want to sell the player.

‘Despite the huge competition in his position, the Catalan club consider Fermín as a key piece for the future and they are not ready to part with him so easily. Still, the pressure from Manchester United could be hard to ignore.

‘The English club has the financial power to tempt both the player and Barça, and the possibility of Xavi Hernández accepting the position at Old Trafford if his pupil joins the team adds an extra layer of complexity to the operation.’