Xavi hopes to stay at Barcelona for "many years" but insists his main focus is on winning trophies, rather than extending his contract at Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana are on track for a treble this season. Nine points clear at the LaLiga summit, Xavi has already secured Supercopa de Espana glory, while Barca are also 1-0 to the good in their two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final tie with Real Madrid.

The former midfielder has one year remaining on his existing contract, although club president Joan Laporta revealed negotiations over a new deal were ongoing.

Xavi is hopeful those talks are successful and he can enjoy a lengthy reign at Barca, similar to that of Alex Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues during his 27-year tenure with Manchester United.

But that is not the 43-year-old's primary objective.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Barcelona's trip to Athletic Bilbao, he told reporters: "It's difficult to be Ferguson in Barcelona. I love to be here. I suffer many days, but I am thankful to the president.

"He's really happy. It's great to have his support. He is a loyal man and hopefully I will stay here many years. But it will depend on all our results. Now is not the moment to talk about my contract.

"Of course, we are talking about this situation. We've been talking about a contract extension, but we need to be calm and focus on winning trophies.

"I still have one more year. We are close to winning trophies, and that's the most important thing – not my contract, we need to win trophies."

Barca will be eager to maintain their momentum ahead of next week's blockbuster showdown with title rivals Real Madrid at Camp Nou, and Xavi has urged his players to retain their concentration levels.

"We are just focused on tomorrow's game to keep the advantage of nine points," he added. "With Real Madrid, that is crucial. Then, we will have the following week to focus on El Clasico.

"We need to keep this good advantage before the visit of Real Madrid, but [Athletic is] going to be a really tough game for sure.

"We are now in the most important part of the season. We need to play well, compete and win those games. These two weeks before the international break are crucial."

Ez Abde fired home a brilliant 47th-minute winner as Osasuna took a 1-0 first-leg lead over Athletic Bilbao in their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.

Osasuna were beaten in the 2004-05 final by Real Betis, but they boosted their chances of reaching the tournament's showpiece match for a second time with a home victory at Estadio El Sadar.

The first half was a scrappy affair, distinctly lacking in attacking quality as both teams struggled to put their stamp on the match.

But moments into the second half, a swift Osasuna counter ended with Abde charging into the box before unleashing a powerful drive into the bottom right corner.

Athletic's search for an equaliser never really got going, as they ended the match with only two shots on target and an xG (expected goals) of just 0.41.

Their best opportunity fell at the feet of substitute Gorka Guruzeta in the dying seconds, but his tame effort was comfortably saved by Sergio Herrera, and Athletic will have much work to do in the reverse leg at San Mames on April 4 if they are to keep their hopes of winning a 24th Copa del Rey alive.

Ernesto Valverde has agreed a one-year contract extension with Athletic Bilbao.

Valverde, who is in his third stint as Athletic coach, was coming to the end of his existing deal at the end of this season.

The former Barcelona coach returned to San Mames last June and enjoyed a strong start to the campaign.

Athletic were level on points with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in LaLiga heading into the World Cup break, although they were winless in five following the resumption of the season.

Back-to-back victories have set Athletic back on course, however, and Valverde will now continue to lead the team until the end of next season.

He and his side have a big match against Atletico Madrid, now fourth and six points ahead, on Sunday.

Former Juventus, Athletic Bilbao and Spain striker Fernando Llorente has retired from football at the age of 37.

Llorente – who has been without a club since the end of last season – made the announcement to Movistar Plus, confirming the end of an 18-year senior career.

When asked about continuing to play football, he replied "No" and suggested he will instead "keep fit by playing padel."

Llorente began his career with Athletic, where he played for nine seasons for the first team, scoring 84 goals in 262 LaLiga games.

He then earned a move to Serie A giants Juventus, where he scored 16 in 34 league games in his first season, though was unable to repeat that form before he left on a free transfer back to Spain with Sevilla in 2015.

After one season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, where he scored just four goals in 23 LaLiga appearances but won the Europa League, Llorente moved to the Premier League with Swansea City.

He netted 15 league goals in 33 games for the Swans before signing for Tottenham after an impressive year in Wales.

Llorente struggled for game time at Spurs, though, with Harry Kane the established striker at the club.

Nevertheless, he did play a key role in their run to the 2019 Champions League final, scoring the goal that put Spurs through to the semi-finals at the expense of Manchester City.

Llorente was unable to get back to his previous best in spells at Napoli or Udinese, before playing what turned out to be his final season back in Spain with Eibar in the Segunda Division.

He won three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia crowns and a Europa League during his club career. Llorente was also part of the Spain squads that won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, earning 24 caps for his country in all, scoring seven goals.

Valencia head coach Salvador Gonzalez 'Voro' has pleaded with the struggling club's fans to express their "Valencianism" to help the team.

Thousands of supporters staged a protest prior to Saturday's home game with Athletic Bilbao aimed at owner Peter Lim, with Valencia in the LaLiga relegation zone.

A 2-1 defeat to Athletic meant Los Che have now picked up just one point from their past seven league games and lost four in a row.

Despite the defeat, Voro was pleased with the performance of his side, who took the lead through Samu Castillejo, only for goals from Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet to turn things around at the Mestalla.

Voro said: "The team has been closer to being able to win and has been focused except on some detail that Athletic has taken advantage of.

"The attitude has been very good and it's unfair, but football is like that. It's a sad day, but improvements have been seen and you have to compete equally to be able to win games."

When asked about the fan protests, Voro added: "The situation is very complicated from a sporting perspective. 

"We understand that the public may be upset, I respect that everyone expresses their Valencianism in the way they consider, but we need the people.

"We are in a very difficult situation, and I think that today there are green shoots. It has not given us a win, but we have lost due to specific actions, football has these things."

Valencia striker Hugo Duro understands the fans' frustration.

"It is normal for the fans to be this demanding when they are in this situation, I would be too," he said after the Athletic game. "We've had 37,000 people come out here tonight and we cannot ask for more.

"They support however they can and the rest is down to us."

Liverpool are expected to bid for Athletic Bilbao duo Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet at the end of the season.

Williams is one of LaLiga's brightest young stars, with the 20-year-old winger having already earned seven senior caps for Spain, including four appearances at the World Cup in Qatar.

Attacking midfielder Sancet, 22, netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Cadiz on Saturday to take his tally of LaLiga goals this season to seven.

Williams in particular received heavy interest during the January transfer window, but Bilbao will reportedly be faced with tough decisions about both players at the conclusion of the campaign.

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE SIDES TAKE A LIKING TO BILBAO PAIR

According to AS, Liverpool were joined by fellow Premier League side Aston Villa in testing Bilbao's resolved over Williams in January, although they were informed no figure would be accepted below his €50million (£45m) release clause.

That report also mentions Sancet's release clause is only slightly lower at €45m (£40m), while Fichajes add he has received interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Both players only have 18 months remaining on their contracts, meaning Bilbao will either need to sort out some extensions or be prepared to cash in.

ROUND-UP

– The Sun is reporting Manchester City, Milan and Inter are all admirers of Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson, although they will not meet the £35m asking price.

– According to the Daily Star, City will look to avoid any further depletion of their full-back stocks by offering Rico Lewis a new contract that would quadruple his salary.

– Journalist Rudy Galetti is reporting Galatasaray have agreed personal terms with out-of-favour Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, and have offered a fee of €22m to the Serie A club.

– Newcastle United and Fulham target Sander Berge wants to remain with Sheffield United until his contract expires in 2024, with the Norway international excited by the club's potential Premier League promotion, per The Sun.

– According to Football Insider, Newcastle will return after the season for another attempt at signing Conor Gallagher, with the belief Chelsea would have allowed him to leave in January if their signing of Enzo Fernandez had been completed sooner.

Athletic Bilbao have triggered the option to sign Ander Herrera on a permanent basis from Paris Saint-Germain.

Herrera joined Athletic on an initial loan deal in August and has made 11 appearances this season, six of those being starts.

The 33-year-old, who was born in Bilbao and previously spent three years at Athletic from 2011, has now officially joined the LaLiga club until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Both sides confirmed the news on their official websites on Wednesday, with the deal going through prior to Tuesday's transfer deadline.

It brings an end to Herrera's time with PSG, whom he joined from Manchester United as a free agent in July 2019 and made 95 appearances for.

He won the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions twice each, while also lifting the Coupe de la Ligue, though he was never considered a regular starter.

Fierce rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid will do battle for a place in the Copa del Rey final.

LaLiga leaders Barca and Los Blancos were on Monday drawn to meet at the semi-final stage, with the winners facing either Athletic Bilbao or Osasuna.

The Blaugrana beat Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final in Riyadh earlier this month to secure their first trophy of head coach Xavi's reign.

There will be another two El Clasico cup clashes to look forward to, with the first leg staged at Santiago Bernabeu in the week commencing February 27 and the second match at Camp Nou in the week commencing April 3.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were 3-1 winners when the two met in LaLiga in October, but Barca have since opened up a five-point lead at the summit.

Osasuna will have home advantage in their first leg against Athletic.

The final will be stage at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Sevilla on May 6.

Inaki Williams missed Athletic Bilbao's game at Celta Vigo on Sunday due to injury, ending the forward's astonishing record run of 251 consecutive LaLiga appearances.

Before his omission was confirmed by the club, Ghana international Williams had not missed a league game since the 2015-16 season.

The 28-year-old was suffering an unspecified physical problem that meant head coach Ernesto Valverde had to cope without the team's mainstay.

Williams surpassed the previous record of 202 consecutive games when he featured in the win over Alaves in October 2021, going past the mark set by former Real Sociedad stalwart Jon Andoni Larranaga.

The marathon ever-present spell began for Williams on April 20, 2016, when he appeared as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid.

During the 251 games, Williams scored 50 goals and had 31 assists, from totals of 456 shots and 207 chances created.

Athletic won 89 of those games, losing 84 and drawing 78.

Since Williams' run of games began, up to and including Sunday, Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made the second-most appearances in LaLiga, featuring in 240 games.

Williams started 212 matches and appeared as a substitute 39 times across his marathon stint for Athletic.

Newcastle United are reportedly confident they will be able to secure Everton forward Anthony Gordon before the end of January.

Gordon, 21, has been with Everton since arriving as an 11-year-old back in 2012, and he broke into the first team this last season with 25 starts among his 35 Premier League appearances.

He appeared to be in the midst of a stellar campaign after scoring in back-to-back matches in August, but along with Everton, he has tailed off dramatically, finding the back of the net just once in his past 11 league fixtures.

Despite his recent lack of success – having only made one league start since the beginning of November – the young Englishman still has his fans, although he still carries a hefty price tag.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE PUSHING FOR GORDON MOVE IN THE NEXT WEEK

According to Goal, Newcastle believe they are in "pole position" to land the England Under-21 representative, with Gordon reportedly missing training on Tuesday as speculation builds.

The report states Everton will hold firm at £50million as their asking price, and with his contract tying him to the club until 2025, there is little incentive to budge from that figure for the time being.

With Frank Lampard fired as Everton boss, it remains to be seen if his replacement would like to feature Gordon prominently, but if not, he could provide the club with some much-needed spending power and manoeuvrability.

ROUND-UP

– The Guardian is reporting 21-year-old Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson will undergo a medical at Bournemouth on Wednesday ahead of confirming a £20.3m (€23m) signing.

– After missing out on Nicolas Jackson, Southampton will now focus their attention on 22-year-old Marseille winger Bamba Dieng, per the Daily Express.

– According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal will join Chelsea in the pursuit of 21-year-old Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo at the end of the season, while The Times adds the Seagulls are valuing him at £100m.

– Aston Villa were prepared to break their club-record signing and activate the £45m (€50m) release clause in the contract of Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams, but the Spanish international rejected their advances. The English club will instead turn to 22-year-old Real Betis forward Luiz Henrique, who is believed to cost £20m (€22m), per the Daily Mail.

– The Daily Mail is also reporting Nottingham Forest are investigating a potential loan deal for 36-year-old Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas after an injury to first-choice shot-stopper Dean Henderson.

Carlo Ancelotti emphatically ruled out the possibility of Eduardo Camavinga leaving Real Madrid following links with Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 20-year-old midfielder joined Los Blancos in August 2021 in a reported €31million deal after emerging as one of Europe's most promising young players at Rennes.

He unsurprisingly took ownership of a rotation role during his first season, making 13 LaLiga starts from 26 appearances.

But the France international has struggled to kick on this term, with only five of his 16 league outings coming as a starter.

His future was then called into question on Friday when speculation surfaced suggesting Arsenal were particularly keen on a loan move, while big-spending Chelsea have been credited with an interest.

Camavinga's agent insisted on Saturday that the player is happy in Madrid, and Ancelotti looked to firmly put an end to the rumours.

"Eduardo is untouchable, like [Luka] Modric and [Toni] Kroos," the Italian told reporters ahead of Sunday's trip to Athletic Bilbao.

Camavinga is not the only Madrid player who has had to contend with a degree of uncertainty around his future.

Nacho Fernandez, Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio are among the players who have entered the final six months of their contracts.

Nevertheless, Ancelotti is convinced the lack of certainty is not an issue.

"They could start the game, or be decisive in the game," he added. "You have to evaluate. From what I see, I see very motivated players, and they show it. We have to see what happens.

"Their contracts are running down and they show that they have motivation, desire, and concentration. The fact that their contract ends does not affect them at all."

Ancelotti also moved to draw a line under the recent controversy around Aurelien Tchouameni.

The Frenchman, who has been injured for two weeks, was not in attendance for the midweek Copa del Rey win over Villarreal because he went to watch the NBA game in Paris between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.

He apologised on Friday and Ancelotti says the situation is resolved.

Ancelotti said: "He made his apology public. He was wrong, but he is a young boy, and the subject has ended with this."

Real Madrid and bitter rivals Atletico Madrid will duel for a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals after being paired in the last eight.

Los Blancos survived a scare on Thursday as they came from 2-0 down at Villarreal to win 3-2 thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos.

It ensured Carlo Ancelotti's team bounced back from losing to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final four days earlier.

Nevertheless, their route does not get any easier with Thursday's draw pitting them against city rivals Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Diego Simeone's side beat Levante 2-0 in Valencia on Wednesday, with Alvaro Morata and Marcos Llorente scoring in the second half.

It will be the first time Atletico and Madrid have tussled in the Copa since January 2015, when the former emerged 4-2 aggregate winners over two legs.

The competition remains on track for a Clasico final, though Barca will also have to get past tricky opponents to reach the last four.

Real Sociedad, who have won each of their past eight games in all competitions and are third in LaLiga, will visit Camp Nou.

La Real have a dreadful record away to Barcelona, however, last winning there in LaLiga way back in 1991.

The other two quarter-finals are also all-LaLiga affairs.

Last season's beaten finalists Valencia will meet Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla Stadium, while Osasuna – conquerors of defending champions Real Betis – play host to a Sevilla side who are battling relegation in the league.

The matches are scheduled across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Copa del Rey quarter-final draw in full:

Barcelona v Real Sociedad

Osasuna v Sevilla

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid

Valencia v Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona will face the lowest-ranked team left in the Copa del Rey after being drawn with Ceuta in the last 16.

Xavi's side will be huge favourites to reach the quarter-finals, with their next opponents propping up Group 1 of the Primera Division RFEF, Spain's third tier.

Nevertheless, Ceuta – who beat LaLiga's Elche in the round of 32 – will take encouragement from Barca's struggles in the last round ahead of welcoming the Catalans to Africa's north coast.

The top-flight leaders needed extra time to beat another third-tier side in Intercity, with Oriol Soldevila pegging them back three times to force extra time.

Ansu Fati's extra-time goal made it 4-3 and eventually sealed Barca's passage, but it was still alarmingly close to an upset for the Blaugrana.

The tie of the round will take place at Estadio de la Ceramica as Villarreal host Real Madrid.

Holders Real Betis were drawn at home to Osasuna, one of four all-LaLiga ties, while Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla were all paired with Segunda opposition.

Fixtures will take place across January 17, 18 and 19.

Copa del Rey draw in full:

Ceuta v Barcelona

Levante v Atletico Madrid

Sporting Gijon v Valencia

Deportivo Alaves v Sevilla

Real Betis v Osasuna

Villarreal v Real Madrid

Real Sociedad v Real Mallorca

Athletic Bilbao v Espanyol

Manchester United continue to be the centre of plenty of January transfer window speculation.

Erik ten Hag's side are likely to be active in the transfer market following Cristiano Ronaldo's exit.

United are in the mix for a top-four finish but want to bolster their squad in January to boost their chances.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD TO OFFER €4M FOR WANTAWAY ATLETICO STAR

Manchester United are some way from making an agreement with Atletico Madrid on a loan deal for Joao Felix, with the Red Devils prepared to offer only €4million (£3.5m), reports Relevo.

According to the report, Atleti want €12-13m (£10.6m-£11.4m) for the 23-year-old Portuguese striker.

There has been no shortage of clubs linked with Felix, including Arsenal, but United are firmly in the mix for a cut-price forward option.

ROUND-UP

– Chelsea are willing to beat any offer Arsenal make for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhaylo Mudryk, according to the Independent. The Mail claims the Ukrainian club will turn down Arsenal's latest £62m offer.

–  Borussia Dortmund are monitoring the availability of Real Madrid's 18-year-old Nico Paz, claims Defensa Central. Real Valladolid and Getafe are also keen on taking him on loan.

– Sky Germany reports Liverpool's Roberto Firmino is drawing interest from Saudi Arabian clubs but the Brazilian is leaning towards extending his Anfield stay.

– Sport claims Barcelona will sign Inigo Martinez from Athletic Bilbao when his contract expires in mid-year.

– Barcelona are willing to let 20-year-old midfielder Ansu Fati go out on loan during the January transfer window to make space for new signings, reports Fichajes.

– Fabrizio Romano reports that Ajax have reached full agreement with Villarreal on a deal for Argentinian goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who will travel to Amsterdam to sign and undergo medical tests in the next 24 hours.

– Manchester United have missed out on signing Borussia Monchengladbach's Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer who has reached a verbal agreement to join Bayern Munich, according to Sky Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo became a free agent earlier this week after mutually agreeing with Manchester United to terminate his contract.

Ronaldo's availability has prompted numerous clubs to weigh up moves for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Brazilian giants Flamengo and Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al Hilal have been linked with Ronaldo in recent days.

AL NASSR OFFER LUCRATIVE DEAL TO FREE AGENT RONALDO

CBS claims Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have offered Cristiano Ronaldo a three-year deal worth £186m.

The deal would see Ronaldo play into his 40s, with Al Nassr having resumed talks with his representatives having initiated them in the close season.

An unnamed Saudi Arabian club reportedly made an offer for the 37-year-old Portuguese prior to the start of this campaign.

Al Nassr are nine-time Saudi Arabian champions and ex-Lyon and Roma boss Rudi Garcia is their head coach.

ROUND-UP

-  Cody Gakpo and Milan's Rafael Leao are top of Erik ten Hag's wish list to replace Ronaldo at Manchester United in January, claims ESPN.

- Arsenal are set to beat Newcastle United to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk for approximately £40 million, reports The Mirror.

- Bayern Munich are the latest club to enter the race to sign West Ham's England international Declan Rice, according to El Nacional.

- Juventus are planning a move for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, reports AS. Williams is contracted with Athletic until 2024.

- Milan are keen on Salzburg forward Noah Okafor, with the Austrian club asking €35m for him, according to Calciomercato.