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Ivan Rakitic really gained the love of Barcelona fans all over the world after just two months at the club. He came in as the substitute of Xavi Hernández, and has taken over the midfield as the next Barça maestro.
Now, there's one more reason for you to love him.
Rakitic had better offers from Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid, but refused all of them and decided to join the Catalan side, sources told Barça Blaugranes. Mundo Deportivo reported it first. The Citizens had the highest offer of them all, something around €32 million. But Ivan's wife didn't want to move away from Spain, so he quickly said no to the proposal.
Later, came offers from Atlético and Real Madrid, both set at €26 million. Real offered a better salary than Atleti, but Ivan again said no to both. He already had one club in mind. It was Barcelona.
Do you remember how much Barça had to pay to Sevilla to buy Rakitic? That's right, €18 million. Almost half of the offer from City, and lower than the ones from Atleti and Real. From what we've learned, the wages that Barça offered were also lower than City's and Real's salary proposals, but there was no way Rakitic was moving anywhere but the Camp Nou.
I love you, Rakitic.
