Barcelona have confirmed that boss Tito Vilanova will undergo surgery tomorrow amid suggestions that he has suffered a relapse in his recovery from a tumour that he had removed last year.

The 44-year-old had a tumour on his parotid gland removed in emergency surgery last November when he was the club's assistant manager to Pep Guardiola.

A recent medical check-up is understood to have revealed that the tumour had returned, although it has not been confirmed whether it is cancerous.

Vilanova has led Barcelona to the top of the league standings after winning 15 of their opening 16 La Liga fixtures thus far, while he has negotiated progress to the next stage of the Champions League.

It is not yet clear whether Barcelona will look outside the club for an interim replacement, but they have announced that no decision will be made until senior players have been approached.

Vilanova will undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy over the next six weeks.