On the way out

Barcelona to negotiate manager van Gaal's departure

Louis Van Gaal was in a similar situation during his first period in charge. Dave Rogers/Getty Images

BARCELONA (Reuters) -- Barcelona were in negotiations with Louis van Gaal late on Monday in a bid to bring a swift end to the Dutchman's second spell in charge at the club.

Barcelona announced their intention to seek an amicable departure for the Dutchman after a two-hour board meeting held at the Nou Camp on Monday night.

The Catalan outfit stopped short of announcing the dismissal of van Gaal, with general manager Xavier Perez Farguell instead issuing a statement outlining the club's immediate plan of action.

"The board has agreed to attempt to reach an amicable resolution to the club's relationship with van Gaal," Perez Farguell said.

"I hope to be able to offer fuller details of the negotiations, which should not take long, in the next few hours."

According to Spanish radio reports, Perez Farguell and club president Joan Gaspart were in talks with van Gaal at the coach's flat in Sitges, just outside Barcelona, on Monday in a bid to get him to agree to a swift departure.

Barcelona's idea appears to be to avoid paying the full amount left on van Gaal's contract, which runs until 2004.

According to a report on Barcelona's TV station Canal Barca on Monday, the club would need to find around four million euros (US$4.33 million) to pay van Gaal off in full.

Gaspart called the meeting with his directors the day after a 2-0 defeat at Celta Vigo left the team in 12th place in the Spanish league, 20 points behind leaders Real Sociedad, just three points off the relegation zone and heading for their worst ever league finish.

Barcelona have never finished lower than 12th in the league and that was back in 1942.

Since then they have always finished in the top half of the table and have never failed to qualify for European competition. Both those records are in clear danger this term.

Van Gaal led Barcelona to league titles in the first two seasons of his original three-year spell from 1997 to 2000 and also landed one King's Cup and a European Super Cup.

Since his return, the club have won a record-equaling 10 successive Champions League games but their domestic form has gone from bad to worse.

 

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