SEVILLA, Spain (AP) – Spanish club Seville arrived on Tuesday to an agreement for the return of midfielder Ivan Rakitic.
The club said Rakitic comes from Barcelona on a contract until 2024.
The 32-year-old Croatian is one of the players that Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said is not in his plans for the future.
Rakitic had played for 3 years for Sevilla before signing for Barcelona in 2014, where he played almost 200 games, and left for Barcelona shortly after helping Sevilla win the 2014 Europa League.
Rakitic has 149 games for Sevilla, with 32 goals and assists.
He also has over a hundred appearances with Croatia, helping the team succeed in the 2018 World Cup final.
Rakitic was a regular starter at Barcelona for most of his time with the Catalan club, but had not played as since coach Quique Setién took office in January.Having wasted game time with Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who joined the club last summer.would have faced a new festival by new recruit Miralem Pjanic.
Barcelona began restructuring their team after the 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
In addition to Rakitic, new coach Koeman said he also had no aim for Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal and Samuel Umtiti.
Sevilla won their sixth name in the Europa League this season and finished fourth in the Spanish league, securing a place in the Champions League for the coming season.
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