'They told me no' - Furious Xavi reveals Barcelona stopped him signing Arsenal star

At that time, Zubimendi was playing for Real Sociedad, where he had built a strong reputation as one of the most consistent defensive midfielders in La Liga. He won the 2024 European Championship and the 2023 UEFA Nations League with Spain, and earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Furthermore, the midfielder lifted the Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad in 2020. Despite Zubimendi’s growing reputation, which eventually saw him join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in a £60 million deal, Barcelona officials claimed the move was impossible.

Reflecting on the saga, Xavi was crystal clear on the matter as he spoke to La Vanguardiaabout his top transfer priority: “Sergio Busquets was leaving so I asked them to sign Zubimendi and they told me no for financial reasons.” The manager’s relationship with president Joan Laporta also came under the microscope, with Xavi admitting that he felt betrayed after initially being brought back to save the club. "Of course we made mistakes and we’ve been very self-critical, both personally and then with the staff through meetings," he said. "To summarise briefly, I’d say my expectations of the club decreased over time. I signed for Barca thanks to him [Laporta], but he ended up letting me down." Xavi lifted the lid on the internal friction that ultimately defined his tenure, highlighting the gap between his sporting vision and the club's actions. "The story being told by the club is completely false, and I feel the need to explain myself – it’s something I’ve been carrying inside me, and I need to clarify it," he stated.

"The president isn't telling the truth there either. Leo was signed. In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch, and he told me he was excited about coming back, and I saw it. We talked until March, and I told him, 'Okay, when you give me the OK, I'll tell the president because I see it as a good move from a footballing perspective," Xavi explained.

"Then what happened? The president started negotiating the contract with Leo's father, and we had La Liga's approval, but it was the president who threw everything out. Did he explain why? Laporta told me, and I quote, that if Leo came back, he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn't allow it. And then suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because he'd been told on the other end that it couldn't be done. And when I called his father, I said, 'This can't be, Jorge,' and he said, 'Talk to the president.' And I insisted that we'd been talking with Leo for five months, it was a done deal, there were no doubts about his footballing ability, and financially we were going to Montjuïc and we were going to do it."

While Xavi’s departure was messy, he shared a surprising anecdote about his successor, Hansi Flick, who showed a level of class that the board seemingly lacked. Flick reportedly visited Xavi’s home to apologise for the awkward nature of the transition, which occurred behind Xavi's back. "He came to apologise when I asked him if the club had actually been talking to him while I was the manager, during those two or three weeks when the club had already decided to let me go but no one told me directly," Xavi said.

"He apologised, we talked for over two hours, it was fantastic. The club told him not to say anything to me, and that’s why he came to my house to apologise. He’s a good guy, very honourable, and I’m glad he’s doing well."