It's reported that Ronald Koeman has been sacked as the coach of Barcelona following a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.
The former Everton and Southampton boss had been on shaky ground at Camp Nou as he looked to negotiate through the club's financial crisis.
A staggering £1bn of debt meant Barça couldn't afford to tie Lionel Messi to a new contract, while senior players had to take wage cuts to allow the likes of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay to be registered.
While fans could perhaps have some sympathy for the club legend on that front the style of play - including putting Gerard Pique up-front in search of a late goal drew disdain from the stands.
Defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico piled the pressure on, with fans punching and kicking the Dutchman's car as he left the stadium, but the prospect of adding a pay-off to their huge debt was believed to be enough to keep Koeman in a job.
However, a defeat to Rayo Vallecano which saw Barcelona slip to ninth in La Liga appears to have been the final straw, as Sport reports a statement is being drafted announcing Koeman's departure.
The newspaper believes the Catalan giants will make a third attempt to tempt Xavi away from Qatar, though the legendary midfielder may not want to take over a club in such a parlous financial state.
The likes of Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Martinez have also been linked in the past.
If confirmed, the move is also likely to mean the departure of Celtic legend Henrik Larsson, who had been working as one of Koeman's assistants.
