AC Milan stars who could pair up to replace Xavi at Barcelona

For weeks now, the European press has been closely following the movements of the Barcelona chiefs. They know that at the end of the season they will have to hire a new coach, as Xavi Hernandez has made the decision to leave due to the poor performances of the team during the last months. So, while the team continue to compete in La Liga and the Champions League, Joan Laporta and Deco are working hard to find the ideal replacement.

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For weeks it was rumored that the main favorites were some German coaches. Jurgen Klopp was the president's number one choice, but it will be impossible because he wants to take a year off after his departure from Liverpool. It also seems impossible that Julian Nagelsmann will leave the German national team to join Los Blaugranas. The other options are Hansi Flick, Joachim Low and Thomas Tuchel, although none of them seem to fully meet the expectations of the fans.

Against this backdrop, an unexpected alternative has now appeared. It is a duo formed by two former AC Milan stars who have not worked as coaches for a long time, but who have always had a style similar to that of Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff: Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten.

According to journalist Lluis Canut, this option is of great interest to Joan Laporta and Deco. They know Rijkaard very well, as he was the team's coach between 2003 and 2008, when Laporta was already president and Deco was in the squad. And Van Basten was close to arriving precisely when Frank left, although in the end the chiefs at the time chose Pep Guardiola.

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What are they doing?

Both Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten have been out of coaching for a decade. The former last coached the Saudi Arabian national team in 2013 and since then has been involved in other businesses that have nothing to do with soccer. And Van Basten had his last experience with AZ Alkmaar in 2014.