Carles Puyol will reject chance to become Barcelona's sporting director
Carles Puyol looks like to reject a return to Barcelona as sporting director.
The former centre-back made 593 appearances for the Blaugrana as a player, winning six La Liga titles, three Copas del Rey and three Champions Leagues.
He was also part of Spain's victorious campaigns at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
But according to Mundo Deportivo, Puyol will turn down the offer of an upstairs role at the Camp Nou.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu is keen to employ the 41-year-old as Barcelona's sporting director, making use of his vast experience and knowledge of the club.
However, Puyol is not sure whether it is the right move for him at the present moment.
The Catalan outfit are prepared to give the club legend as long as he needs to reach a final decision.
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But as things stand it looks likely that Puyol will turn down the chance to make a Camp Nou return.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).