Barcelona's Xavi not going anywhere, claims agent

Xavi Hernandez’s agent has poured cold water on speculation linking the Barcelona star with a move to big-spending Paris St Germain.

Rumours had circulated in the Spanish press, not least the notoriously pro-Madrid daily AS, that a $130million transfer deal was being planned for the 32-year-old midfielder, reporting that Pep Guardiola’s possible summer departure could trigger the move. AC Milan were also thought to have been monitoring the situation.

However, the player’s agent Ivan Corretja as told Radio Monte Carlo that Xavi won’t be going anywhere. "Xavi is under contract until 2014 with the club and leaving the Catalan club is not among his plans," he said.

The news will be welcomed by Barcelona fans who are seeing the first cracks in Guardiola’s squad this season, not least as injuries and dips in form have negatively impacted on what many consider to be the greatest team in the history of the game.

Xavi, who was voted World Soccer Player of the Year in 2010, has been an essential ingredient in that success and will be an important influence on both new arrivals and emerging youth players in the coming seasons.