Barcelona 'make contact with Everton boss Ronald Koeman'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 03 January 2017

Barcelona 'make contact with Ronald Koeman'

A report claims that Everton manager Ronald Koeman has been made Barcelona's top target to replace Luis Enrique next summer should the Spaniard step aside.

Barcelona have reportedly made contract with Everton boss Ronald Koeman over replacing Luis Enrique as manager at Camp Nou next summer.

The Spaniard has yet to decide whether to stay on beyond the end of the current campaign after a tricky third year in charge of the club.

A number of names have been linked with the hotseat, including most recently Athletic Bilbao chief Ernesto Valverde, but Italian TV station Sportitalia reports that Koeman has already been contacted by Barca.

Having secured club legend status in Catalonia for his extra-time winner in their first European Cup triumph in 1992, Koeman - who was also assistant to Louis van Gaal between 1998 and 2002 - is said to have been targeted as the top choice to take over.

Enrique won the treble in his first season at the helm and followed that up with a domestic league and cup double last time out, but his side currently trail Real Madrid in La Liga and face a difficult Champions League knockout tie with Paris Saint-Germain next month.

Koeman's first season at Everton has been pretty mixed, meanwhile, with the Toffees failing to win back-to-back games since September but still occupying a place in the Premier League's top seven.