Barcelona's talismanic defender Gerard Pique is no longer required at Camp Nou, club boss Xavi Hernandez has reportedly stated.
Xavi has also communicated to his former Spain teammate that he doesn't feature in his scheme of things at Catalonia next season and hence can move to a different club, the Spanish media outlet Sport reported.
According to the newspaper, Xavi has grown weary of Pique's large list of business ventures outside the pitch and escalating fitness problems.
The 35-year-old footballer is the founder of Kosmos Holding, a sports and media investment firm. It currently runs tennis' oldest tournament, the Davis Cup, in partnership with the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
For the last few years, Pique has had a long-running feud with the sport's administrators over the control of the Spanish Football Federation after he voted in favour of Catalonia's independence from Spain in 2016.
Last month, Spanish prosecutors launched a probe into Pique's alleged role in taking the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
The investigations began after leaked tapes of Pique's conversations with federation president Luis Rubiales indicated that his company, Kosmos Group, would have received at least €4 million ($4.2 million) in annual commissions for negotiating a six-year deal with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
The report in the Sport claims Xavi isn't happy with Pique's increasing controversies, calling it "unprofessional conduct" off the pitch.
Besides, Xavi is concerned about Pique's declining physical prowess. The World Cup and Euro winner missed 23 games during the 2020-21 season due to a knee injury. This year, he was again out of action for weeks after being sidelined because of a groin issue.
But Pique isn't in sync with Xavi's comments as he has vowed to work harder to improve his fitness. He has also promised to pull back his focus from his business umpire besides putting his personal life aside.
The Spanish press' shock revelation comes at a time when Pique has been in the news for his high-profile split from Colombian singer Shakira.
A fortnight ago, the pop star and Barca footballer had parted ways after spending 12 years together due to Pique's alleged infidelity.