Barcelona have confirmed Tito Vilanova has stepped down as manager and hope to announce his replacement next week.
Club president Sandro Rosell and director of the football Andoni Zubizarreta addressed the media to reveal the news on Friday, saying Vilanova is to concentrate on his battle against throat cancer.
Vilanova only took over from Pep Guardiola last summer, but missed a chunk of the season after undergoing treatment for cancer in the United States.
The 44-year-old had a tumour removed from his throat in late 2011 but suffered a relapse a year later and underwent another operation on his parotid gland on December 20 before beginning a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in New York.
