Fans of New York City FC and Major League Soccer may have to wait a little bit longer than they thought to see Xavi Hernandez suit up in North America.
In fact, they might not get to see him at all.
If you believe the latest round of reports Xavi, 34, has made a dramatic last minute U-turn and decided against joining MLS newcomers NYC FC.
[RELATED: Xavi set to seal NYC FC move]
Previous reports stated that Xavi was expected to complete his move to the new MLS franchise joint-owned by Manchester City and the New York Yankees later this week. However with financial concerns complicating things and Barcelona pushing for the Spaniard to stick around in Catalan, it seems as though Xavi is staying at home. For now.
After spending his whole career at Barca, Xavi has become a symbol of the clubs supreme success over the past decade and is an idol in his home city. It is expected that he could arrive in MLS in January once more details are ironed out. That would allow him to spend the first half of the season at Barca and then transfer to New York ahead of their inaugural MLS season kicking off in March 2015. Our friends over at Soccerly have the details, here is the info as to why Xavi has made this dramatic U-turn.34-year-old playmaker Xavi, who still has two years remaining on his contract, had made noises to friends and family about his intention to leave the club, which eventually made it through to the press. The physical exertion required at the Spanish giants coupled with some enticing offers from New York City and a Qatari club had influenced his thought process.
The same sources now reveal, however, that the player has turned down the aforementioned offers as he does not consider it to be an opportune moment to leave the club where he has won it all. The earliest possible departure date has now been moved back until January, when the Spain international will re-evaluate his position. A further factor is that the MLS season does not begin until next spring.
Xavi’s weekly wage on the remaining two years of his contract is the highest it has ever been during his career. A further hitch in the negotiations was the fact that the incoming offers did not match the player’s current salary, which led to protracted talks about a potential big-money payoff from Barça to offset this financial shortfall.Follow @JPW_NBCSports