Barcelona

In January, following a 5-3 home loss to Villarreal, Xavi said that he would stand down as manager of the reigning La Liga champions this summer.

However, the team's form in the second half of the season has been impressive, going 13 games unbeaten in all competitions before the recent successive losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Senior figures have been working to convince Xavi to stay at Barcelona, and it has now been confirmed that he will remain at Camp Nou past the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

"I have the satisfaction of announcing that Xavi Hernandez will continue as coach of the Barca first team," Laporta said at a press conference on Thursday.

Joan Laporta confirms Xavi's stay at Barcelona

"You know that mid-season Xavi issued a statement that he had decided to leave at the end of the season. However, yesterday I got the good news in which he conveyed his enthusiasm and confidence for the project and the team and project.

"Our coach is ambitious to create a project that has already won things and that must continue to win. But now it will be even more competitive because changes will be made for the better.

"This hope and ambition showed from the first moment we met yesterday and is clearly good news for Barca. It is my belief that stability is an important aspect of successful projects. It's a maxim that I have learned throughout my experience as president.

"My other reason for supporting the decision is that Xavi is unquestionably a Barca man. Xavi, myself and the board have a Barca sentiment that we understand the same way. To have a coach who always has Barca's interests at heart, who always thinks about what's best for Barca, is very good news.

"So I am especially happy today because we have got what we wanted. The board unanimously approved this decision to stay on and have given Xavi all their encouragement, support and congratulations. He has the absolute confidence of the board the sports area and I hope the Barca community too."

Xavi insists Barcelona "are very close to achieving big things"

Meanwhile, Xavi said: "My original decision was the right one at the time because we needed a change of course. But the situation is different now. I feel strong enough to continue building this project.

"We may not have achieved the trophy-winning targets that we set for this season, but there is hope for next season and I think we are very close to achieving big things.

"The players believe in me and they have expressed to me their complicity and support, they persuaded me to change my mind. The fans also encouraged me and that also led to to reappraise my thoughts. I thank them for all their support and love.

"The players already know. We have had one of the best training sessions of the season. The president has given his explanations and so have I, which are the same ones I give here. I have felt the confidence of everyone and I feel strong. This is the story."

Barcelona, who are second in the La Liga table, will be aiming to bounce back from their defeats to PSG and Real Madrid when they resume their La Liga campaign against Valencia on Monday night.