Xavi threatened to leave Barcelona if club had sanctioned star's exit to Bayern Munich before eventually announcing his summer departure - Reports

According to The Athletic, Barcelona manager Xavi threatened to resign if Ronald Araujo was sold to Bayern Munich last summer. The legendary midfielder recently announced that he will step down as Barca's manager at the end of the season.

Bayern's interest in buying Araujo in January was well-documented. According to GOAL, the Bavarians' boss Thomas Tuchel happens to be a massive admirer of the central defender.

Tuchel was hoping to strike Barca during the club's dire financial situation. The Bavarians were reportedly ready to offer up to €80 million to sign Araujo from the Catalan club.

Xavi, however, remained adamant in his stance that Araujo is not for sale. That forced Bayern to look elsewhere and they eventually brought in Eric Dier on a six-month loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur.

Araujo is one of Barcelona's most important players and is an integral part of the team's back line. While the Uruguayan has stayed, Xavi will depart the club at the end of the season. The Spaniard claimed that coaching Barca is a taxing job. Besides that glamour, there's a dirty side to it that sees coaches receiving undue criticism.

For now, Xavi is focused on leading his team to a strong finish to the 2023-24 season. The defending Spanish champions are fourth in La Liga with 47 points from 22 games, 10 behind league leaders Real Madrid.

The Blaugrana have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and were beaten by Real Madrid (4-1) in the Supercopa de Espana final. Barca, however, have reached the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, where they will play Napoli.

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Barcelona manager Xavi reflects on the La Liga title race

Barcelona's quest to defend their La Liga champion status hasn't gone according to plan. The league has become a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Girona with Barca in fourth.

However, there are still 16 games left to go in the season. Xavi is taking a game-by-game approach as he looks to get his team back on track. He told the media ahead of the Deportivo Alaves clash on February 3 (via Barca Universal):

“The first thing is to beat Alaves, because they are a difficult opponent. After that, we have to wait and see. Madrid and Girona have done better and that’s the reality. There are 16 games left to compete, but I want to take it step by step.”

Deportivo Alaves are currently 11th in La Liga with 26 points from 22 matches. Barcelona will look to build on their recent impressive league form. Xavi's side have won four of their last five matches, losing one.