Xavi has been linked to a move to Qatar for weeks with his age making his future at Barcelona uncertain under Luis Enrique and a deal appears to now be in place.

"Xavi has signed a pre-contract with Al Arabi," Al Arabi coach Dan Petrescu is quoted as saying by Digisport.

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

Xavi has played 16 years for Barcelona in which he has won La Liga seven times.

"They assured me that he has received an offer to play for three seasons earning a net figure of 8.3 million euros for each one," Petrescu said. "I was even told that a contract had been signed, although I didn't actually see it."