Xavi will stay with Barcelona for another season, AP sources say. Coach had planned to leave

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Coach Xavi Hernández will stay with Barcelona for another year after all, agreeing to finish his contract to 2025 in a reversal of his decision to quit at the end of the season, two people with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday.

The two people spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal.

Barcelona was expected to make the decision official on Thursday, when club president Joan Laporta would explain the details about the turnaround.

Spanish media said Xavi met with Laporta and sports director Deco for several hours on Wednesday before agreeing that the coach would stick around instead of leaving as initially planned.

The decision to stay with Xavi came three days after a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid that all but ended the team’s chances of winning a title.