Ivan Rakitic has bid farewell to his teammates at Sevilla in anticipation of joining Al Shabab, a Saudi Arabian club.
Since joining Sevilla for a second time in 2020 after leaving Barcelona, Rakitic, 35, has been a constant presence on the team. He currently serves as vice captain for the Spanish team.
Although Al Shabab is not one of the four Saudi Arabian teams supported by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), it did sign Yannick Carrasco from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018 and Ever Banega from Sevilla in 2020.
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Sevilla is eager to negotiate Rakitic’s early departure, which would save them money on wages, as his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
With just three victories in their 21 La Liga games this season, Sevilla is fighting for their life in the relegation zone, sitting just one spot and point above it.
This season, Rakitic has made 22 starts for Sevilla in all competitions and netted two goals.
The Croatian has had a trophy-filled career, having won 16 championships over his stints at Basel, Schalke, Sevilla, and Barcelona. He also played a key role in leading his country to the 2018 World Cup final.
In addition to winning four La Liga titles with Barcelona and the Champions League in 2015, Rakitic was a major contributor to Sevilla’s victories in the Europa League in 2014 and 2023.
After Diego Alonso and Jose Luis Mendilibar were fired earlier in the season, Quique Sanchez Flores is Sevilla’s third head coach of the current campaign.
