Ronald Koeman is currently the frontrunner to replace Quique Setien as Barcelona manager. 

Setien is expected to be sacked in a meeting with technical director Eric Abidal within the next few days following their humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. 

Koeman  - considered a Barcelona great after his time there as a player – is said to be the preferred choice of president Pep Bartomeu. 

They would need to pay compensation to get him out of his current role as Netherlands head coach, however. 

Ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is also a strong candidate. He is the preferred choice of director Ramon Planes, with whom he worked at Espanyol. 

However, the potential appointment of Pochettino has been met with opposition from ‘El Entorno’ – a term coined by Johan Cruyff in 1992 to describe the ‘environment’ of influential media and fans surrounding the team. 

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Pochettino is said to be interested in the job despite distancing himself in the past because of his legacy with Espanyol. 

He was a prominent player and then head coach there before joining Southampton, but recently did an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais in which he tried to make amends for previous comments. 

Some members of the Barca board also hold out hope of convincing Xavi to return to the club. He is currently in charge at Qatari side Al Sadd. 

Other names in the frame include Laurent Blanc, who is another ex-Barca player, and Barca B head coach Garcia Pimienta.

sky sports