Villarreal president Fernando Roig has admitted interest in Barcelona veteran Ivan Rakitic.

Rakitic's current deal at the Nou Camp is due to expire in 2021 and, with the increasing need to reduce the wage bill following the £108million arrival of Antoine Griezmann, he could be shown the door.

Rakitic has struggled to play regular football at the Nou Camp this season following the arrival of Frenkie De Jong from Ajax and is believed to want a move away from the club for regular first-team football.

And Roig told Cadena Cope's El Partidazo programme: "I like him a lot as a footballer, if he wants to come to Villarreal, we are here."

Rakitic's wife is a native of Seville and it is believed the pair are keen to return to the city in which they first met.