- Rakitic was a part of the Barcelona side that won the treble in the 2014-15 season
- The Croatian midfielder made 310 appearances for the Barcelona first team, and is set to return to his former club
Rakitic moved to Barcelona from Sevilla in 2014, after spending three years at the Andalusian club, where he made his name as one of the best midfielders in La Liga, before topping that off with a hugely successful stint at Barcelona.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano also said that Rakitic himself asked Barcelona for the move, and that Sevilla was the only club that he considered if he were to leave Barcelona.
Rakitic has been the subject of some angst at Barcelona, especially during the last season, as he could no really nail down a spot in the starting XI under either Ernesto Valverde or Quique Setien.
After the arrival of Ronald Koeman, the Dutchman had the Croatian as one of the players who did not have a future at Barcelona under him, with Samuel Umtiti and Luis Suarez being the others that Barcelona look desperate to sell this summer.
Ivan Rakitic to return to Sevilla from Barcelona
Rakitic made a total of 149 appearances in three seasons for Sevilla, before moving to Barcelona in 2014, when Luis Enrique was the head coach of the Catalans.
During his six seasons at Barcelona, Rakitic made 310 appearances for the first team, scoring a total of 36 goals.
Apart from the Champions League in 2015, Rakitic won four La Liga titles, and the Copa Del Rey four times as well, in addition to winning the Spanish Super Cup twice.
He was also a part of the Barcelona side that won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2015.
Rakitic moving on this summer may not have a massive effect on the Barcelona side, in terms of the numbers in midfield. They have already signed Miralem Pjanic from Juventus, while the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto still remain at the club.
In addition, youngsters like Riqui Puig and Carles Alena will be expected to make the step-up into a regular first-team role this season.
Sevilla, who finished 4th in La Liga last season and won the Europa League, will hope the Croatian’s experience and technical ability can fill the gap left in their squad by the departure of Ever Banega. The Argentine left for Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab, after playing the Europa League, the final of which was his last game for Julen Lopetegui’s side.
