Barcelona will turn to former defender, Ronald Koeman in the wake of an embarrassing Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich as its head coach.
The club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed that Koeman will be brought in to replace Quique Setien after the Spanish boss was dismissed in the aftermath of Barca’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
In an interview on the club’s website on Tuesday, Bartomeu said;
“If nothing goes wrong, Koeman will be Barca’s coach next season.
“We already know how he thinks and his philosophy.”
Koeman, the Netherlands head coach, was first contacted by Barcelona about becoming head coach at the beginning of the year, with Bartomeu adding;
“We bet on him. He was the first one we called in January. It’s a dream for him.”
Barca officials are in talks with the Dutch FA over compensation for Koeman, who played for the Catalan club between 1989 and 1995.
He was a member of Johan Cruyff’s hugely successful side, known as the ‘Dream Team’, and scored the only goal of the game against Sampdoria in the 1992 European Cup final.
Bartomeu added: “As he was in Johan’s ‘Dream Team’, he knows Barca and how we understand football.”
Asked whether he would like to return to Barcelona, Koeman told reporters outside the Dutch Football Federation headquarters on Tuesday:
“Yes, I’d like to, but it will only be confirmed once I have signed the contract.
“Until then, I cannot say any more about it – even though I’d like to.”