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According to several sources in the Spanish media, Barcelona will offload veteran Croatian star Ivan Rakitic to Sevilla for a severely reduced fee in the upcoming transfer window.
Barcelona needs to sell many of its players to fund expensive moves for the likes of Lautaro Martinez and is willing to part with the services of Ivan Rakitic this summer.
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Ivan Rakitic has largely been an underwhelming presence in Barcelona's midfield over the past few years. While the Croatian is playing well under Quique Setien, Barcelona prefers to sell the ageing star and use the funds to target much younger prospects.
Rakitic has been vocal about his dedication to Barcelona and has made it clear on several occasions in the past that he intends to stay at the club.
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Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic set to join former club Sevilla
Earlier today, Spanish newspaper SPORT reported that Barcelona will sell Ivan Rakitic for a surprisingly low transfer fee this summer. The Croatian has struggled to find a permanent place in Barcelona's midfield this season and will likely return to his former club Sevilla.
Barcelona is reportedly ready to sell Ivan Rakitic for a transfer fee as low as $22 million. Sevilla is interested in bringing the experienced midfielder to Andalusia and is going to bid for Rakitic in the coming weeks.
Barcelona is currently in a dire financial situation and will have to dig deep into its treasury to fund its expensive ambitions. The likes of Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, and Samuel Umtiti are likely to leave the club in the coming weeks.
Ivan Rakitic joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2014 and had a stellar first season at the club. The Croatian played as an attacking midfielder alongside Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets and was a crucial part of one of the most balanced midfields in the world at the time.
Rakitic won the treble in his first season with Barcelona and capped off a successful campaign with a goal against Juventus in the Champions League final. The midfielder was given a more defensive role by Luis Enrique in the following season.
Rakitic often filled in for Sergio Busquets as Barcelona's defensive midfielder and pivot and while he did a commendable job on several occasions, his inability to pick out a forward pass and his underwhelming performances in crucial fixtures saw him fall out of favour with Quique Setien and Ernesto Valverde.
The arrival of Dutch prodigy Frenkie de Jong has seen Ivan Rakitic relegated to Barcelona's bench for most of the season. The Croatian has started only 14 La Liga games this season and while he has been much better under Setien, Rakitic will likely be the first casualty of Barcelona's financial mismanagement.
The Croatian scored a crucial goal against Athletic Bilbao last week and has put in several good performances since the La Liga restart. With Frenkie de Jong ruled out for the rest of the month, Rakitic will want to leave the Barcelona fanbase with a few more lasting memories.
