Reports linking Xavi Hernández to Manchester United have some basis, but the momentum appears to be coming chiefly from the coach rather than the club.

A first full season in charge at Barcelona delivered the Spanish Super Cup and the 2022–23 La Liga crown ahead of a Real Madrid side led by Karim Benzema. The tensions beneath that success then surfaced in the next campaign, which ended without a trophy and finished with Xavi relieved of his duties.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Xavi is “ready” to return to management, “would love to take a job in the Premier League” and is “very open” to the Manchester United opportunity created by Ruben Amorim’s departure. The same report also stressed that “nothing advanced” and “nothing concrete” has arisen between the club and Xavi.

Xavi’s return to Barcelona was presented as a restoration of a long tradition. As Pep Guardiola put it, “Johan Cruyff painted the chapel,” Guardiola once mused. “And Barcelona coaches since merely restore or improve it.” With just a little more than two years coaching in Qatar on his résumé, Xavi made clear his commitment to possession football: “We cannot lose our ‘house style,’” he declared. “That’s the thing which has made the club great.”

During his two full seasons as Barcelona boss, the team averaged 64% possession in La Liga, but sustained penetration was often lacking. The 2022–23 title owed as much to Robert Lewandowski converting half-chances as to a tight defence. Half of Barcelona’s league wins in that period were by a single-goal margin and 1–0 was the most common scoreline.

Xavi himself acknowledged the frustrations: “I lose my patience because I see the pass but what I think should happen doesn’t happen,” he admitted shortly before announcing his decision to quit in January 2024. The hierarchy persuaded him to stay, confirming that decision in April, and his dismissal was revealed in May. He often said that “Barcelona is the most difficult club to manage in the world.”

As ex-United defender Gary Neville noted on Sky Sports, “Barcelona will never change for anybody,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t believe United should change for anybody. The club has to find a manager who has got experience and who’s willing to play fast, entertaining, attacking and aggressive football.” Given the current picture, any move for Xavi would require careful thought on both sides.

2025 became a year defined by prolonged recoveries and recurring setbacks for a run of leading players. Long absences and repeated rehabilitation programmes limited availability across several clubs and competitions.

At Arsenal the season was hit by injuries to key forwards. Kai Havertz had never suffered a serious injury prior to a hamstring tear that sidelined him for three months at the end of last season. After playing in Arsenal’s opening day victory over Manchester United, the 26-year-old was forced to undergo knee surgery and has been sidelined ever since, although a recent return to training has lifted spirits. Gabriel Jesus tore his ACL in January during an FA Cup clash with Man Utd and has only recently returned to be an option for the manager.

Barcelona endured a troubled period in goal and defence. Marc-André ter Stegen returned in December but has been usurped as first-choice following the summer signing of Joan García. Ter Stegen, briefly stripped of the captaincy amid his injury woes, played just five games for club and country in 2025 after missing the first four months of the year and a further four-and-a-half months at the start of the current campaign. Andreas Christensen missed the bulk of the calendar year through five separate fitness issues and a fresh injury in December will sideline him for a number of months.

Bayern Munich saw several first-team players affected. Jamal Musiala missed the end of Bayern’s title-winning campaign before a broken leg and ankle dislocation at the Club World Cup left him out until a recent return to team training. Alphonso Davies suffered an ACL tear in March and has only recently returned to action.

Chelsea’s Roméo Lavia suffered five separate injuries during 2025 and has made just 11 appearances in the 2025–26 season to date, presently sidelined with a muscle strain. Manchester City’s Rodri never got the chance to back up his 2024 Ballon d’Or victory after an ACL injury kept him out until last May; a hamstring suffered at the Club World Cup has limited him to eight appearances since that tournament.

Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez missed over nine months after an ACL injury in February, returning in late November. Real Madrid endured recurring problems: Éder Militão missed almost the entirety of last term through an ACL tear, has suffered two further muscle injuries this season and faces a return timeline until April 2026. Dani Carvajal has managed just eight appearances since the Club World Cup and is currently sidelined with a knee problem. David Alaba missed all of 2024 and has since been struck by four separate ailments, absent for 30 matches across the calendar year.

Elsewhere, Neymar suffered six separate injuries for Santos and Brazil and required a knee operation in December, while Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski missed eight months across 2025. The season underlined how quickly injury can derail momentum for top-level players and teams alike.

Barcelona have identified Nathan Ake as a short-term solution to their defensive needs, but Manchester City’s unwillingness to allow a loan exit has left the Catalan club’s January plans in doubt.

SPORT have confirmed Barcelona’s interest in Ake, who is reportedly open to a move after making just one Premier League start this season. Given Barcelona’s precarious financial situation, the club prefer a short-term loan to reinforce their centre-back options while remaining compliant with La Liga’s financial rules.

Pep Guardiola, however, is reluctant to sanction a temporary departure for a player viewed as important squad cover. That stance presents a significant obstacle to a loan deal and, if City do not soften their position, it is hard to imagine the move materialising. Barcelona are waiting to see how the situation develops while pursuing other alternatives.

The club could use Andreas Christensen’s long-term injury to unregister him and reduce the wage bill, a maneuver that would allow them to add reinforcements without breaching financial regulations. That is why a loan option remains the preferred route for Barcelona — it would provide immediate cover and avoid a large permanent outlay.

Ake fits the profile the club are seeking and would be the frontrunner to partner Pau Cubarsí in central defence if a deal were possible. With City resistant to the idea of a temporary exit, Barcelona’s interest in Ake is effectively on hold.

One alternative surfaced earlier in the week when Chelsea offered Axel Disasi to Barcelona. Disasi is reportedly not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans and has spent the season with Chelsea’s U-21 side. Chelsea are openly attempting to move him on, and Barcelona’s need for a centre back made them a logical suitor.

The key complication with Disasi is that he can only leave Chelsea on a permanent transfer because the Blues have already used all their designated international loan spots. That restriction makes Disasi a less realistic option compared with a potential loan for Ake.