Seydou Keita to leave Barcelona

Barcelona have confirmed that Malian international Seydou Keita has decided to leave the Catalans.

“Seydou Keita has today announced that he will not be continuing with the club next season. Barcelona would like to thank him for his role with the club in the last few years and we wish him professional and personal success in the future,” read a statement on Barca’s official website.

The 32-year-old was in China last week negotiating a lucrative deal with Dalian Aerbin, which would see him earn €10m per season and sign a two-and-a-half-year contract, despite his current agreement with La Blaugrana running until 2014.

However Keita has a clause inserted stating he could leave the Camp Nou if he failed to start in at least 50 per cent of La Liga games last term, when he figured just 16 times, and has now exercised that right.

Keita was signed from Sevilla for €14m in July 2008 and played 188 official matches for Barcelona, scoring 22 times.

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