Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic Talks Potential Bundesliga Return

Ivan Rakitic is open to a potential return to the Bundesliga in the future.

The Barcelona midfielder spent the best part of four seasons at Schalke before his move to Sevilla in 2011, and he said the Bundesliga is still an attractive prospect for him, per Kerry Hau, Sebastian Benesch and Matthias Mischo of Goal:

"We will have to call Niko (Kovac) or maybe we'll see if Manu (Neuer) can do something with Uli Hoeness. The Bundesliga was always something very special for me. I always followed it as a little boy and later played there for three years. My time at Schalke was special. We will see if I return again.

"It has to fit for all sides. But for me, the Bundesliga is still one of the absolute top leagues. With Bayern, Dortmund and Schalke there are also top teams."

It is unlikely he will leave the Camp Nou any time soon as he has become a vital part of the Barca first team since moving to the club in 2014.

He has been sidelined through injury since the recent international break, but is back in the squad for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven, per Tom Allnutt of Agence France-Presse:

Rakitic, 30, is currently contracted to Barca through to June 2021. It would take a huge offer for the Catalans to be tempted into selling him.

After the summer departure of Andres Iniesta, the Croatia international is arguably Barcelona's most crucial midfielder.

He boasts the metronomic passing range prized at the Camp Nou and is likely to remain a key first-team player for another few seasons yet.

However, when Rakitic nears the end of his current contract he may well consider returning to the Bundesliga to finish his career.