A player with whom both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were linked this summer has signed a four-year deal elsewhere.
It is claimed the Croatian midfielder, Ivan Rakitic, was contacted personally by the Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta (Le10Sport), and ‘would not have minded’ a move to Tottenham (Mundo Deportivo), who were described as being ‘one of the strongest possibilities’ for Rakitic if he left Barcelona (also Mundo Deportivo).
But the 32-year-old’s former club Sevilla were also said to be lurking.
And it is at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán that Rakitic will seemingly wind down his career.
Sevilla confirmed his return to Andalusia earlier on Tuesday, six years after Barcelona bought him for a reported fee of £16 million.
But his latest move is said to have cost as little as around a tenth of that figure.
With five domestic cups, four La Ligas, one Champions League and a Europa League title to his name, Rakitic would have been on paper a useful addition to Arsenal or Tottenham’s squad.
That said, Arsenal’s midfield options will soon be increased if Dani Ceballos returns to the Emirates Stadium as expected, following the expiry of Mohamed Elneny’s loan spell in Turkey. Tottenham, meanwhile, have strengthened through the capture of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton.
Fans of Arsenal or Tottenham – what’s your stance on Rakitic’s move?
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