Spain's World Cup winner Xavi set to swap Barcelona for Qatar's Al-Arabi

Spain playmaker Xavi is to call time on his stay with Barcelona after the World Cup finals and head for the Middle East with Qatari club Al Arabi.

The 34-year-old, currently in Brazil with the Spanish national team, is understood to have signed a pre-contract agreement with the Qatari club for next season.

Xavi has spent his entire career with Barca but will now follow in the footsteps of former team-mate and boss Pep Guardiola, who spent two-years with Doha-based Al-Ahli towards the end of his career.

Clubs in America and China were also chasing Xavi's signature, but the lure of a three-year deal worth a reported $11million per season in the Gulf has proved too good.

Al-Arabi coach and former Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu has confirmed a deal is in place to sign the Catalan.

“Xavi has signed a pre-contract with Al Arabi," said Petrescu in an interview with Digisport.

“Xavi probably has offers from other clubs too, I spoke to him.”

Confirmation that Xavi is to quit Barca and head for Qatar where he will link up with Real Madrid legend Raul, who now plays his football for Al Sadd, comes as no surprise.

An exit from the Camp Nou was inevitable following the appointment of Luis Enrique as boss this summer amid claims that the two men do not see eye-to-eye.

Xavi's Spain team-mate Cesc Fabregas, who last week sealed a move to Chelsea, appeared to confirm that his compatriot's time at Barca was at an end in a recent interview.

“Xavi and Puyol have decided to take a step aside, to be closer to their families, to get away from such demanding paths," Fabregas told ESPN.

With Xavi set to join Fabregas out of the Camp Nou exit door this summer, Barca are pushing on with their own transfer plans and completed the signing of Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla on Monday.

As for Xavi's intended new club Al-Arabi, they finished fifth in the 14-team Qatar Stars League last season, 14 points behind eventual champions Lekhwiya.

Xavi will be in good company in Qatar with the league boasting a raft of big-names including Argentine duo Lisando Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez, Brazilian pair Nilmar and Nene and Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

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