According to Spanish publication Sport, Ivan Rakitic will be agreeing a salary cut of a massive 50% in order to end a nightmare couple of years with Barcelona as a return to Sevilla nears.
Rakitic has fallen out of favour over the last couple of seasons and has perhaps not received the respect he deserves for his role at the club since he joined in the summer of 2014 for a reported €18m.
Sevilla are now close to re-signing the ace in a deal that Barcelona hope to net a fee of around €5-10m in, Sport report that an agreement is close because the differences between the clubs are ‘so small’.
It’s added that the Croatian star would be putting pen to paper on a three or four year contract that would see him earn less than half of what he currently does at Barcelona.
The midfielder will take home €3.7m a year compared to his current €7.8m annual pay packet.
Rakitic has only started 22 of his 42 appearances across all competitions for the Blaugrana this season, the side have looked lacklustre in the midfield for some time now.
The 32-year-old has the chance to end his career on a high with Julen Lopetegui’s side, who are coming off of a fourth placed finish in La Liga and a remarkable triumph in the Europa League this season.
Rakitic has made 310 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 35 goals and chipping in with 42 assists, the Croatia international’s last goal contribution came in the win against Napoli.
Does the playmaker deserve more credit for his achievement and displays with the Catalan outfit? It looks as though he’s been yet another victim of the club’s dire running over the last few seasons.
That very nice