Barcelona have contacted Belgian manager Roberto Martinez over a possible replacement for Ronald Koeman, who could be a bodyguard in the coming weeks.
Sources confirmed in the 90min that Barcelona are ready to fire Koeman and are already doing so, but they are reluctant to pull the trigger until a senior manager replaces him.
Koeman is not expected to continue his career after the October international break and may still have his last game in the dugout as he is currently serving a two-match ban due to a 0-0 red card with Cadiz.
Negotiations are underway to find a replacement and Goal says Martinez has already been contacted to gauge his interest in the position.
There are no official talks, but Barcelona have made it clear to Martinez that he is the most popular player in the job, and Spain has confirmed to Belgian officials that his move to Barcelona is a real possibility.
Martinez has a contract with Belgium until the end of the 2022 World Cup, but there has been speculation that he will leave soon – although the former Everton boss has insisted he will not leave until after next month’s Nations League final.
Barcelona are open to waiting until the end of the competition when they will have to pay a € 1.5m (£ 1.3m) compensation to buy Martinez from his contract with the Red Devils.
Other issues, such as Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Conte, and Xavi Hernandez have been discussed, but Martinez is seen as the preferred candidate as he is.
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