Sevilla's sporting director Monchi has played down his club's chances of signing midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Barcelona.
Barca are keen to sell Rakitic this summer and the Croatian is understood to be interested in a return to the Andalusian club, where he played between 2010 and 2014.
But the club's transfer guru, Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo - better known as Monchi - has cast doubt on a deal happening between the two clubs.
"Ivan is a player who, from what he says, would like to return to Sevilla," Monchi told Diario de Sevilla.
"Today, tomorrow, in two years... it's evident.
"Would I particularly like thing to work out so that he could come back? I don't hide the fact that he is my friend.
"Are those possibilities realistic? At the moment, it looks difficult to me, if not impossible.
"More difficult things can happen, but in the short term, I don't see it."
Sevilla would have to pay around €10 million to sign Rakitic and his high wages could also prove prohibitive, especially in the current circumstances.
"It's so difficult financially that I don't see it," Monchi added.
