Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman will be named Barcelona manager in the coming days replacing Quique Setien whose sack is expected to be announced imminently several media reports say.
Koeman, 57, a former player at the Nou Camp was sighted in Catalonia on Sunday and will leave the Dutch national team to sign a deal with the Catalans the reports add.
The Dutchman spent a very successful six years at Barcelona that saw him win LaLiga four times, as well as the Copa Del Rey and European Cup.
He featured 350 times for the Spanish giants and has never hidden his affections for the club where he also spent time as assistant manager to Louis van Gaal between 1998 and 2000.
Setien was dismissed after the La Liga runners-up were humiliated in an 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich as they crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage on Friday.
The 61-year-old Spaniard was hired as Ernesto Valverde’s replacement after Koeman turned down the job in January but failed to lead his side to a trophy in 2019-20.
Reports say Koeman was chosen ahead of former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino because he would be a more popular choice compared to Pochettino who played for and managed local rivals Espanyol.
Former Everton and Southampton manager Koeman, 57, who was appointed as Netherlands manager in February 2018, had a health scare in May after he was rushed to hospital with chest complaints but said afterwards he felt “fit as a fiddle”.
The appointment will mark a remarkable turnaround for Koeman who was dismissed at Everton in 2017 following a string of bad results that left the Toffees marooned in relegation waters.
Barca legend Xavi Hernandez has also been linked with the job but reportedly doesn’t want to work with the current board.
It has been suggested that Koeman may oversee a “year of transition” before Xavi, currently in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd, would arrive.
