Barcelona president Joan Laporta has positioned himself as a mediator in the event of tension between Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola and Barcelona's coach Xavi Hernandez regarding the possibility of the Catalan club acquiring Joao Cancelo on loan. In a television interview on the Spanish channel "TV3," Laporta stated, "I take on the role of mediating between Pep and Xavi. It is one of the responsibilities I have; however, I don't believe there is tension between them, but there are Pep fans who think that when they praise Xavi, they are tarnishing Guardiola's memory. He is a legend at Barcelona, and I don't think there is a conflict."
He added, "Xavi came to dinner at my house in Costa Brava, as we are neighbors; he wants to achieve consensus and love from everyone, and these things are difficult." Laporta confirmed that "renewing Xavi's contract is one of the topics occupying his attention right now," saying, "He has a contract, and he knows he is the best coach for Barcelona, and we are satisfied with him. He is a great person who respects the club; in due course, we will talk about his continuity. The priority now is to have a team capable of competing."
He continued, "There is no specific date for renewing his contract. We have spoken generally, but there are other priorities now, and we have done part of the work by signing Ilkay Gundogan."
**Busquets Replacement**
Laporta confirmed that the club does not intend to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad or Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich as potential replacements for Sergio Busquets due to budgetary constraints. He said, "Brozovic might have been more feasible, but he has an offer from Saudi Arabia, and it will be difficult to compete with that; there are a number of names we are working on."
Regarding Oriol Romeu from Girona, Laporta simply clarified that the club is exploring multiple options without providing further details. He added, "For the midfield position, if it is necessary to strengthen it, we will promote someone from the youth academy; we do not want to hinder the path of players in the youth teams."
**Messi Tribute**
On Messi's return, Laporta stated, "Lionel faced a lot of pressure in Paris, but the Argentine wanted to return to Barcelona." He added, "He didn't want to experience that level of pressure, and he would certainly face it here as well. I told him that I understand the situation; Barcelona will always be his home."
He expressed, "I hope he performs well in Miami. I have already told him that we are working on a significant tribute for him; we must honor the memory of great players. I hope that occurs when Camp Nou is reopened."
He concluded by saying, "Barcelona is above all; Messi has the spirit of football. I have known him since he was a child, and his departure saddened me, but those are decisions that must be made. I believe I did what was best for Barcelona."
