In a major development, FC Barcelona have officially confirmed that sporting director Jordi Cruyff will be leaving the club on June 30, when his contract expires.
Cruyff joined Barcelona as the sporting director in September 2021 as part of Joan Laporta’s restructuring of the administration.
The Dutchman has worked closely with the club president, director of football Mateu Alemany, and manager Xavi Hernandez over the past two years helping build a successful team that has won the La Liga title this season.
Cruyff’s contract with the club expires on June 30 and there had been speculations that he was considering leaving, especially after it emerged that Alemany will also be not continuing after next month.
And, the Blaugrana have confirmed that it is indeed the case, with the 49-year-old set to move on from the club to undertake new professional projects. The statement issued by Barcelona read:
“FC Barcelona’s sporting director, Jordi Cruyff, will not renew his contract with the club at the end of the current season due to the desire to undertake new professional projects.
“This is what he communicated this morning to the president of the entity, Joan Laporta, in an emotional meeting in which Cruyff argued his departure in search of new challenges after two seasons at Barça.”
Cruyff has informed Barcelona that he will help the club close any and all pending operations in the market before his departure and help with the transition ‘towards a new structure of football executive’.
“The Club thanks Jordi Cruyff for his important contribution as a member of the Sports Commission and wishes him the best of luck in his new professional path,” the statement concluded.
Deco is one of the frontrunners to become the new director of football at Barcelona, the role held by Alemany. With Cruyff also now departing, it will be interesting to see who the Catalans decide to replace him with.
