FC Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez said he had unfinished business with the club and money was not what led him to reverse his decision to step down at the end of the season and agree to stay in charge for the 2024-25 campaign.

Xavi, sitting alongside club president Joan Laporta and sports director Deco at a news conference on Thursday, said he had seen a huge improvement in the team’s performances and morale over the last two months.

The former Barcelona midfielder had spent most of previous day in meetings with club officials.

Barca announced on Wednesday that Xavi, who said in January that he would step down at the end of the campaign, would honour the last year of his contract after agreeing to a series of unspecified conditions set by the club.

“It has not been an easy decision. In January, I thought it was the best thing, but circumstances have changed and, now, I think that continuity is the best thing,” Xavi said.

“I think that the project is not finished, that we can build it into a winning project. I am very excited. From three months ago to now, everything has changed.

“As rectifying is wise, we are here to rectify. It wasn’t a question of ego or money, it’s a question of the club’s wellbeing and a matter of confidence in what we are doing.”

Xavi denied rumours about him asking for a release clause in his contract and said he “wouldn’t ask for a single euro” to step down. “I ratify. It has not been a question of money,” Laporta said.

“Barcelona fans should know that Xavi has never been greedy when it comes to money, he has always thought about the club and has never been a condition of any kind.

“We know that he made some statements in the middle of the season, but today we have the good news that he is staying and he has conveyed to me the enthusiasm and confidence he has in the project.”

When he first announced his decision to step down in January, Xavi said that he felt “liberated”, adding that the pressure of the job meant that he could not enjoy himself at his boyhood club.