After weeks of speculation, Barcelona could be set to make a significant announcement after Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Sevilla.
Doubts have emerged over the future of club stalwart Andres Iniesta for months, with BBC Sport noting that the 33-year-old was set to make a decision on his future before the end of April.
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With either a prolonged stay at Barcelona or a potentially lucrative move to China being touted as the two options on the table, it appears as though Iniesta has chosen the latter.
According to AS, the club legend is set to announce his exit after the cup final this weekend, ending a 22-year association with the Catalan giants.
Iniesta joined the club in 1996, coming through the youth ranks before making 665 senior appearances and winning eight La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and many more plus countless individual accolades.
In turn, if the announcement arrives on Saturday, it will come with real sadness for all associated with the club, albeit his influence has declined in the latter stages of his career and so perhaps an exit at this stage would be the sensible decision for all parties to preserve his incredible legacy.
It has not yet been revealed which Chinese club Iniesta will join, but with AS suggesting that there are grand plans for him in the Far East, he’ll undoubtedly relish the final few years of his playing career while it would come as no surprise if he returned to the Nou Camp in the future in some capacity.
Widely regarded as one of the best players of his time, Iniesta has had an incredible impact on football with Barcelona, and if Saturday is to be one of his last games for the Spanish outfit, Ernesto Valverde’s side will undoubtedly be desperate to ensure he signs off with another trophy coupled with the La Liga title which could still come.
Barcelona boast an 11-point lead with just six games remaining, and so Iniesta will likely have one more league triumph to celebrate before he departs.