Barcelona are reportedly still interested in appointing Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as their new manager.

In January, Xavi made the surprise announcement that he would be stepping down from his role in the dugout at the end of the season.

That has led to widespread speculation regarding a potential replacement with a whole host of names being linked with a move to Camp Nou.

Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick and club legend Rafael Marquez have been suggested, while a report earlier this week suggested that Ruben Amorim was in the frame.

The Sporting Lisbon boss is allegedly viewed as one of the Barcelona's hierarchy's top targets - if not the preferred one - and it is said that the Portuguese is the closest to becoming the successor to Xavi.

Nevertheless, according to Relevo, Arteta remains very much on the radar of the powers-that-be at the Catalan giants.

President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco are reportedly admirers of the Spaniard, who began his career in the youth ranks at the club.

The pair are said to be consistently following any developments with Arteta at the Emirates Stadium, where he has a contract until the end of 2024-25.

As it stands, Arteta has, on more than one occasion, reiterated his commitment to the project with the Gunners and is keen to extend his stay.

Nevertheless, it is claimed that Barcelona remain undeterred in their efforts to speak to Arteta about leading the first team into a new era and cut the gap to Real Madrid.

Arteta is currently solely focused on trying to win a Premier League title with Arsenal, with his team sitting two points adrift of leaders Liverpool, while the North Londoners must overturn a deficit against Porto to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

In total, the 41-year-old has won 127 of his 218 matches in charge of Arsenal, transforming them from a team that had spent a period away from the Champions League to contenders on all fronts.

Barcelona face an important 10 days themselves, Xavi's team needing to close the eight-point gap to Real in La Liga and facing the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli, where they are locked at 1-1 on aggregate. body check tags ::