FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has been denied access to the United States and will therefore not join the Catalans on their upcoming American preseason tour as things stand.

Xavi has not been able to travel with the rest of the Barcelona expedition to the United States and has had to stay in Barcelona due to administrative problems with his documentation. The reason is that the Barça coach had been in Iran as an Al Sadd player. When someone has been in that country he cannot normally enter the United States and needs a special permit.

The club say that he will join up with the squad in the coming days and hope the delay is as short as possible.

The Blaugrana flew out to the US at 14.30 CEST on Saturday and will play four friendlies over the Atlantic starting with a July 19 encounter against Inter Miami at the DRV PNK Stadium.

The La Liga giants then go west to take on bitter rivals Real Madrid in a Las Vegas Clasico at the Allegiant Stadium home of NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders on July 24, in what is their first meeting on American soil since Barca won 3-2 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in 2017.

Three days after the Madrid showdown, Juventus await at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas before the tour ends in New York on July 30 when the Blaugrana face the New York Red Bulls at the Red Bull Arena.

And though it has now been confirmed that Frenkie de Jong will head over the pond after reports that he would be excluded from the trip for not entertaining a move to Manchester United, his current coach Xavi will not be able to command him during what could be the Dutchman's last game for the clubs.

According to TV3, Xavi has been denied an American visa due to travel activities he carried out when managing Al-Sadd - in what was first managerial role before taking over the reins at his boyhood club last November when previous coach Ronald Koeman was fired.