With Xavi tipped to sooner or later become FC Barcelona's coach, it has now been claimed which star would be his first transfer target.
Read: Xavi Names Four Players To Succeed Messi Ronaldo
The 39-year-old recently retired and took over as coach of Qatari side Al-Sadd, while also doing his coaching badges.
It is believed that Xavi will take over his former club in future and Dailymail now claim he would make Raheem Sterling his first transfer target.
The Spaniard, who recently said Sterling could become the world's best player, reportedly believes that the Englishman can dominate the upcoming era like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo did.
"You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, (Kylian) Mbappe, (Mohamed) Salah, and of course (Raheem) Sterling. I look at the moment – and Sterling is winning that race," he said in a recent interview, as reported by Daily Mirror.
"He's always been a good player, a dangerous player, but under Pep (Guardiola) he has become one of the best in the world."
Sterling signed a new contract until 2023 last year, but has maintained that he would like to play overseas at some point in his career.
Real Madrid, though, are also interested in his services and their managing director Jose Angel sanchez invited Sterling's representatives to Spain for discussions during the recent transfer window.
Read: Messi Names Club He Wants To Join Before Retiring
Xavi, however, would be keen to beat Barcelona's bitter rivals to Sterling's signature even though he will probably cost more than €170 million (R2.8 billion).
Do you think Xavi and Sterling would be the right fit for Barcelona? Have your say in the comments section below.
