FCB Miami: Azkargorta to become sports director

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is negotiating with Xabier Azkargorta (55) to become the sports director of FCB Miami.

The deal has not yet been closed but the negotiations are very well-advanced. Azkargorta has received the offer a few weeks ago and there have been several positive meetings since then, the last one a week ago.

Azkargorta would be enthusiatic about the new project and would be backed by barcelona president Joan Laporta, who assisted one of the meetings with the Basque manager, and by Barcelona's MLS partner Marcelo Claure, who knows Azkargorta from his time as Bolivian national team coach.

Azkargorta has a large experince as coach and sports director. He was, among other things, manager of Espanyol and Sevilla, national team coach of Bolivia and Chile and director of Real Madrid's football academies outside Spain. Last summer he was for a few weeks sports director of Valencia.

An agreement will only be made public once FCB Miami has the authorization to take part in the Major League Soccer. The club is convinced that they will receive the green light next month.

Asked about the rumours, Azkargorta has confirmed the talks in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio: "I have a formal offer to become the director of the new club. It's true that it's because of my good contacts with Marcelona Claure and FC Barcelona that they have thought about me for this new project. But we need to stay cautious because at this moment the franchise hasn't yet been awarded and there's still nothing concrete."

Read more:
FCB Miami: Interview with Barcelona partner Claure
FCB Miami: A critical view on Barcelona's bid
Plans for new US tour confirmed