Barcelona defender contemplates summer exit amid transfer interest from Saudi Arabia - Reports

According to AS, Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has been contemplating an exit from the club in the summer. The player has reportedly interests from Saudi Arabia.

Alba has been an important player for the Catalan club since his move from Valencia in 2012. He has so far made 456 appearances for the club, scoring 27 goals and providing 99 assists.

Alba has scored two goals and has provided six assists in 27 appearances across competitions this season. However, he is not the team's first-choice left-back anymore.

Alejandro Balde has taken over the spot and with Marcos Alonso present, Barcelona already have cover for the left-back position.

While Jordi Alba is contracted with the club until the end of the 2023-24 season, he could leave in the summer amid uncertainty over his playing time in the future.

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Frank Rijkaard spoke about Barcelona manager Xavi

Frank Rijkaard was in charge of Barcelona between 2003 and 2008 for 272 games. The Dutchman recently shared his take on the current manager of the club, Xavi Hernandez.

Rijkaard had nothing but high praise for the Spaniard. He even hailed Xavi as the king of football. Rijkaard said (h/t Diario Sport):

“I have great memories of Xavi, he has become the king of football. I am very happy for him to see that the team is on the right track to win the league. Xavi deserves it and so do the Barça fans. I am also happy with President Joan Laporta, with whom we work together. It is a pleasure to see them achieve success.”

He further praised the team's performance this season, saying:

“They have had a very good season. Having won the Spanish Super Cup is already very important. I hope that soon we can see Barça champion of the League again. It was an honour to have worked there.”

Barcelona have already won the Spanish Super Cup this season. While they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, the Blaugrana look well on course to win La Liga.