Barcelona Star Provokes Fans After Picking Another Team Over Barca In Twitter Survey

A Barcelona star sparked controversy on social media after picking a different club over the Catalans in a Twitter survey.

Ivan Rakitic hasn’t been shy about his desire to return to his hometown, Seville. For over two months now, there has been talks of Rakitic exiting Camp Nou as he has been included in Barcelona’s transfer list. However, no official deal has been negotiated yet for the Croat.

Prior to the intense LaLiga match-up between Sevilla and Barcelona, Rakitic stirred controversy on social media after LaLiga asked Twitter users to choose between “the Rakitic of Sevilla” and “the Rakitic of Barcelona.” Shockingly, the attacking midfielder joined in and picked the Sevilla version of himself. As expected, Rakitic provoked many Barca fans into expressing their thoughts over his choice.

Rakitic is one of the Barcelona stars who have been heavily linked to a transfer this summer. He has never hidden his future desire to live with his wife and return to Sevilla, the team he shares many memories and victories with. With only one year left in his contract, Rakitic’s return to Sevilla might be sooner rather than later.

But despite eyeing a move to Sevilla in the future, Rakitic is also drawing interest from the Premier League. According to a recent report from The Sun, Manchester United is considering the highly-rated midfielder for a free transfer should Barcelona insist on letting Rakitic go. The report further stated that Rakitic has been complaining about a lack of playing time in the Spanish league, a situation which the Red Devils are reportedly planning to capitalize on in the near future.

The 32-year-old has gradually been eclipsed by a notable star under boss Quique Setien since the arrival of Ajax's Frenkie de Jong. This did not go unnoticed as other big clubs across Europe, namely Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, are now reportedly interested in Rakitic as well.

However, Rakitic stated that he’s not thinking about any transfers at the moment. In a recent interview with Croatian publication Tportal, the Camp Nou star said he met with the Barcelona board, but there was nothing to talk about as he is still tied with the club until 2021.

"I spoke to the club ten or 15 days ago and the conclusion is that I have nothing to talk about because I have a contract until the summer of 2021 with Barcelona and it is the entity I want to be in and play with,” Rakitic said.