Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste has said that he is working to keep head coach Xavi at the club beyond the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

At the end of January, Xavi announced that he would be standing down as manager of the Catalan giants this summer, insisting that it would be best for both parties to part ways.

However, Barcelona sporting director Deco has said on multiple occasions that the door is still open for Xavi to stay, while president Joan Laporta is believed to be desperate to keep him.

Since the surprise announcement, the La Liga champions have won eight of their 11 matches in all competitions, remaining unbeaten in the process.

Barcelona are now just five points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid in the table, while they are preparing to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

© Reuters

Xavi maintains that he will be leaving this summer

Xavi said on Friday that he is still planning to stand down as manager at the end of the season.

However, Yuste has revealed that he is working to keep hold of the 44-year-old, who is wanted as part of "a long-term project" at Camp Nou.

"Xavi knows what we want. It's his personal decision, what I'm going to do as far as I can is try to convince him to continue," Yuste told reporters.

"I think we have to let him enjoy himself, there's still a long way to go in La Liga and also the Champions League, but he's a coach who comes from La Masia and I hope and wish that he continues.

"We are thinking about a long-term project led by him and we have a team to do great things in the future. We're not talking about one or two seasons."

© Reuters

Barcelona's excellent form continued against Las Palmas on Saturday

Barcelona made it four straight wins in all competitions on Saturday evening courtesy of a 1-0 success over Las Palmas, with Raphinha netting the only goal of the contest in the 59th minute.

"A small result given what we saw today. We are having problems with finishing games this season," Xavi told reporters after the league contest.

"We played a good game, the result is short. We dominated, and we generated chances. I think it is a summary of what we have had this season, we did not close the game earlier and we ended up suffering.

"The balance is positive. We have played with high ball circulation, we have attacked spaces well. We have ambition and desire."

Barcelona will head to Paris for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 10 before resuming their league campaign away to Cadiz three days later.