Ivan Rakitic is reportedly close to leaving Barcelona in favor of a return to Sevilla and is undergoing a medical examination.
Once an indispensable cog in the Barcelona midfield, Rakitic now finds himself on the back burner and surplus to requirements. It appears a change in manager hasn’t reversed his fortunes.
Diario Sport newspaper claimed recently that Ronald Koeman wants swift exits for Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Samuel Umtiti, and Rakitic.
Clubs from Spain, England, Italy, France, and the United States have all expressed an interest in these four players, with Rakitic the most likely one to leave first should reports be correct.
Ivan Rakitic is having a medical with former club Sevilla after reaching an agreement with Barcelona, reports @Albertoflorenzo pic.twitter.com/4WISMFji78
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 31, 2020
According to Marca, Sevilla are on the verge of re-signing the Croatian. An agreement is in place, with Ivan allegedly undergoing a medical in Barcelona.
If everything goes to plan, the club will welcome a third new face to Andalusia after activating their €24m buy option on Suso and signing Oscar Rodriguez from Real Madrid for €13.5m last week.
Rakitic will likely come in to fill the void left by Ever Banega, who has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab, in Julen Lopetegui’s line-up.
Sporting director Monchi will reportedly wrap up a deal in the upcoming hours for Rakitic, who will sign a contract for three seasons.