The return of Frank Rijkaard?! Barcelona president Joan Laporta sounds out former boss over replacing outgoing Xavi

The 44-year-old announced that he would leave the club in the summer after a 5-3 defeat to Villarreal in La Liga. Rijkaard, who initially took charge of the Camp Nou dugout in 2003, is being mooted to return and be the next Barcelona boss, according to Radio Marca.

The Dutch tactician led Barcelona to notable success in the 2004/2005 season, clinching the La Liga title and followed it up with a historic Champions League triumph in Paris against Arsenal in 2006. Under his management, Barcelona also claimed another Spanish championship and a Super Cup.

In 2008, Laporta acknowledged Rijkaard as one of the club's greatest coaches in the 21st century and credited him for ushering a new dawn in Catalonia while nurturing talents like Ronaldinho and a young Lionel Messi. The Barcelona supremo is reportedly optimistic about Rijkaard's potential return, despite the manager's previous statement of having "no intention" to get back into coaching as new reports claim that he has not "closed the door completely" on management.

Xavi picked Rafa Marquez as his successor who is the current coach of the club's B team - which plays in the third tier of the Spanish league system. In fact, Marquez was one of the players who was managed by Riijkard in the 2000s along with Xavi.

With Xavi set to step down on June 30, Barcelona are exploring various candidates for the coaching role, including Hansi Flick, Roberto De Zerbi, and Thiago Motta. Laporta's approach to Rijkaard adds an intriguing dimension to the search for Xavi's successor, potentially marking a sensational return to Catalonia for the iconic manager who has been on a sabbatical since January 2013.