Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman refused to answer questions on his future after his side slumped to a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Celta Vigo, which means they can at best finish third in La Liga this season.
Local media reported on Sunday that the club have opened negotiations with former midfielder Xavi, who is currently in charge of Qatari side Al Sadd, as pressure builds on the Dutchman after a disappointing first campaign in charge.
"My future? That's not a question for me. I won't talk about it. I said what I think in my press conference [pre-game] and I won't repeat it," Koeman said after the Celta defeat.
Koeman is not the only figure at Barca whose future is up in the air, with club great and record goalscorer Lionel Messi's contract up next month and no new agreement in place.
After what could possibly have been his final game at the Camp Nou, the coach said the club were desperate for the Argentine to stay, suggesting they might not be able to repair the damage that would be done by losing a player of his calibre.
"I hope this is not Messi's last game at the Camp Nou. He's still the best player in the world and he showed us again today that playing without him is impossible," Koeman said.
"He's scored 30 goals [in La Liga this season], he's given us so many points over so many years - we want him to stay but it's a question for him to answer.
"But, if he's not at the club, who is going to score the goals for us?"
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
