Xavi has revealed his staff are preparing “a lot” to coach Barcelona as the Camp Nou great eyes a return.
The current Al-Sadd boss was linked with the Barca vacancy earlier this year when the La Liga champions sacked Ernesto Valverde, before they turned to Quique Setien in January.
Barca have struggled to convince this season – the titleholders now two points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in the race for La Liga glory with six matches remaining.
While outlining his future plans for Barca, the 40-year-old insisted he will not come back unless he has the control to make decisions.
“The biggest hope I have now is to be Barca coach and get Barca back to winning ways,” Xavi, who has led Al-Sadd to Qatari Super Cup and Qatar Cup silverware, said via Sport.
“Not me but these players and Barca triumphing. And as a consequence, our technical staff, who are preparing for it a lot and it makes us really excited.”
Xavi, who won 25 trophies during his playing career with Barca, added: “I’m a club man. I would like to return at the right moment to start a project from zero.
“I’ve said it a lot of times but I want to take footballing decisions at Barcelona.
“It’s clear that after the elections the stage would be set, of course. I’m not ruling anything out.
“They came for me in January, we were speaking. I told them the circumstances and timing weren’t right.”
Barcelona’s next presidential election will take place in the summer of 2021 – usually a date in June – with current leader Josep Maria Bartomeu not seeking re-election.
Xavi’s former team-mate Juan Antonio Pizzi believes the club legend is the ‘future of Barcelona’ and he is destined to return to his roots at manager when the right opportunity presents itself.
“I think he evaluated the situation very well – there is the fact that he would be coaching former team-mates – but also the fact that he would be going home perhaps without the experience of having managed in La Liga,” Pizzi said.
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“I think that led him to take the decision that he eventually took, to say: ‘Give me some time. I want to coach Barcelona and I think I’m prepared to do it but I think I have to develop myself a little bit more’.
“I am absolute convinced that the future of Xavi and the future of Barcelona will come together at one point, I don’t know if in two years or five years or eight years but Xavi is going to be Barcelona coach, there is no doubt about that.”