Xavi wanted to axe four huge Barcelona stars ahead of major summer overhaul before he was sacked

Xavi wanted to get rid of four high-profile Barcelona stars before it was confirmed he would be leaving the club, it has been claimed.

The 44-year-old took charge of his final game as Barcelona boss on Sunday night after a two-and-a-half spell in the job.

One of the club's greatest ever players, Xavi won one La Liga title and had a 62 per cent win ratio.

He signed off with a 2-1 win over Sevilla, with the goals from Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez.

Xavi had said he would be exiting back in January due to becoming burnt out, only to perform a U-turn on his decision in April.

But after comments in the media about Barca's financial problems, the Blaugrana top brass decided Xavi would no longer continue on Friday following a meeting with Laporta and sporting director Deco.

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And a fresh report from ESPN states that Xavi had different views to Joan Laporta on summer transfer plans.

The outlet claims Xavi did not want loanees Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo to remain with the squad, nor did he see Lewandowski or Vitor Roque in his plans going forward.

Former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick is set to replace Xavi as manager in the next few days.

But Xavi has issued a warning to his successor about the difficult environment he will step into.

Image: Getty

"They have to know it is a difficult situation, because Barcelona is a difficult club, but also because of the adverse financial situation, above all [LaLiga's] financial fair play rules," Xavi said when asked what advice would he give to his replacement.

"It won't be easy at all. They will suffer and they will need patience because it's a really difficult job. The only thing that can save them is winning, whether they have been part of the club or not [previously].

"I have been looked at through a magnifying glass and a certain level of expectations were generated, because I was part of Barça's best-ever era, which has played against me."