Koeman arrives in Barcelona to finalise contract with LaLiga side

Ronald Koeman has arrived in Barcelona to finalise the terms of his appointment as the LaLiga club’s new head coach.

The former defender is set to take over following the decision to sack Quique Setien in the wake of the 8-2 destruction by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final.

Koeman confirmed to Fox Sports on Tuesday that discussions were underway with Barca. The Netherlands boss had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for the job at Camp Nou, although a report in La Vanguardia suggests Barca will have to pay between €4million and €5m in compensation.

The 57-year-old was filmed leaving El Prat airport after he arrived by private jet, and he is now expected to sign his Barca contract in the coming hours.

According to AS, Barca CEO Oscar Grau and technical secretary Eric Abidal met in Amsterdam on Monday to begin finalising Koeman’s deal. The Catalans announced earlier on Tuesday that Abidal has now left his role by mutual consent, as Barca proceed to make sweeping changes behind the scenes after a disappointing season.

Although he has resisted calls to step down, president Josep Maria Bartomeu has brought forward elections to March next year, having already overseen the departures of Setien and Abidal.

A number of first-team players are expected to be moved on before the start of the 2020-21 season, with club captain Lionel Messi reportedly eager to leave and experienced defender Gerard Pique having offered to depart for the good of the team.