Barcelona To Slash Fee To Sell Midfielder Who Wants To See Out Contract: Report

FC Barcelona are reportedly planning to slash Ivan Rakitic’s release clause ahead of the summer transfer market.

Rakitic, whose current contract at Nou Camp is due to expire in 2021, has made his intentions clear about wanting to see out his contract. It is understood that Barcelona were close to selling Rakitic in January but the Croatian midfielder refused to leave the club.

According to Spanish publication Sport, the likes of Seville, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in Rakitic, who has been told that the club cannot let him leave as a free agent in 2021. Seville was Rakitic’s third club after starting his career at FC Basel before moving to Schalke 04. From the German side, Rakitic had moved to Seville in La Liga in 2011, a side he went on to captain.

The report has further disclosed that while Rakitic wants to end his career at Seville, the club will not make a move unless he leaves Barcelona as a free agent.

The Catalans have therefore decided to reduce Rakitic’s price to allow Seville to think about the transfer as the latter are yet to make any firm move. Barcelona, who signed Rakitic from Seville in 2014, earlier were expecting to earn at least $22 million from the 32-year-old's transfer this summer.

Rakitic, who has scored 36 goals since his Barca debut in 2014, has started only 14 La Liga games in the ongoing 2019-20 campaign, where he has netted just one goal in 38 appearances across all tournaments.

He has won several laurels as part of Barcelona’s side, having won four La Liga titles, Champions League trophy, a FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup, to name a few.

Barcelona have had several ups and downs in the current season and have slipped four points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid in the table. With four more matches to go and regardless of Barcelona’s result, Real are just eight points away from sealing the La Liga title, a trophy they have not won since 2017.