Barcelona icon makes return to club after Laporta offer – Will take up coaching role

Victor Valdes is set to return to Barcelona, according to claims coming from Sport on Friday.

The Catalan newspaper reports the former goalkeeper has accepted an offer to return to the Camp Nou club and take up a coaching role. Joan Laporta, Barcelona’s recently installed president, reached out to Valdes and the hand of friendship has resulted in a role coaching goalkeepers coming through La Masia.

Valdes is a Blaugrana icon, having come through the club’s youth system to represent the first team and win a bucket full of trophies. He left in 2014 as a free agent, much to the disappointment of supporters.

Having felt undervalued, the stopper decided to let his contract run down, despite huge efforts from the Catalan public to convince him to remain between the sticks for Barcelona.

Initially agreeing a deal with AS Monaco, Valdes saw that move collapse after a serious knee injury, and ended up signing for Manchester United in 2015. That wasn’t to be a happy period for the 39-year-old and he later played for Standard Liege and Middlesbrough.

A previous coaching role with Barcelona was brought to an end after a disagreement with others at the club, and now he’ll surely be eager to put that behind him.