Barca shortlist Conte, Pirlo as Koeman’s possible replacement

Antonio Conte and Andrea Pirlo are rumoured to be on a target list to replace Barcelona gaffer Ronald Koeman, according to reports.

The under-fire Nou Camp boss, 58, has come under pressure following his side’s 1-1 home draw against Granada with club great Xavi also linked with his job.

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And the points dropped against their struggling league rivals has left Barcelona seventh after four games with an away clash with Cadiz up next.

Newspapers in Spain claim ex-Juventus manager Pirlo and former Chelsea and Inter chief Conte are being eyed as potential alternatives to Koeman.

Pirlo, 42, was axed by Juventus after sealing Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophy wins last season.

And Conte, 52, parted company with Inter after leading the Serie A giants to a Scudetto in the 2020-21 season and the Europa League in 2020.

However, some pundits believe Conte could end up being deterred by the current state of Barcelona’s squad.

The club has struggled with financial issues with debts reportedly around the £1.15billion mark.

And they brought two of their four summer player swoops (Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero) in on free transfers.

In addition, Mundo Deportivo reports the Catalan giants are not looking for temporary cover.

According to Football Italia,  the 26-time LaLiga champs hope to find a permanent long-term coach to steer them back to their trophy-winning glory days.

Barcelona-based journalist Gerard Romero reckons ex-Germany coach Joachim Low is another name under consideration for the Barca hot seat.

And it is thought the Nou Camp outfit’s former midfield maestro Xavi is also being looked at as a possible option.

The former playmaker currently manages Qatari club Al Sadd and led them to the semi-finals of Asia’s Champions League in 2019.