Barcelona agree deal for Sevilla schemer Rakitic
Barcelona have signed Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic on a five-year deal.
After offloading Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea, the Catalans have moved to replace him with the 26-year-old playmaker, who is currently on national duty with Croatia at the World Cup in Brazil.
An 18 million euro ($30.5m) fee has been mooted, which could represent excellent value for Barcelona if Rakitic continues his excellent form from last season.
Handed the skipper's armband by Unai Emery last year, the Swiss-born schemer had an excellent campaign where he made 59 appearances for the Andalusian club, netting 15 goals and providing 17 assists for his teammates as Sevilla went on to lift the Europa League trophy.
An orchestrator in midfield with his impressive range of passing, Rakitic is an excellent set-piece taker with a wicked shot.
Check out the video above to catch a glimpse of why Barca have splashed the cash for the Croatian international.
As part of the deal, Barcelona's Denis Suarez will spend the next two seasons on loan at Sevilla, who have an option to purchase young attacking midfielder.
Sources: Barcelona official website, BBC, Inside Spanish Football
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