MX23RW : Friday, November 8 10:01:21| >> :120:57641:57641:

Barcelona 'agree £16.25m deal for Ivan Rakitic'

Ivan Rakitic is reportedly on the brink of a move to Barcelona, with the Catalan club said to have agreed a fee with Sevilla.

Barcelona have reportedly beaten off competition from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for the signature of Sevilla playmaker Ivan Rakitic, with the move being completed before the start of the World Cup.

The 26-year-old, who is likely to feature in Croatia's opening game against hosts Brazil on Thursday, earned rave reviews for his performances as Sevilla lifted the Europa League trophy last month and finished fifth in La Liga.

Now Goal.com claims that the Catalan giants have stolen a march on their Spanish rivals by finalising a £16.25m move for the 26-year-old, with Rakitic agreeing a five-year contract to move to the Camp Nou.

Earlier this week, Atletico had been thought to be favourites in the race to snap up the midfielder's services.

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Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic celebrates after scoring his team's second goal against Rayo Vallecano during their La Liga match on September 25, 2013
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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