Report: Andres Iniesta to Sign with Japanese Club Vissel Kobe
Andres Iniesta's Barcelona story will be over at the end of the season. And according to Cadena SER, the Spain midfielder won't be moving to China as first thought.
The 33-year-old, who has spent all of his career with the Catalan giants, will sign a three-year deal with Japanese club Vissel Kobe, per the report, with a deal having been ironed out by by Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani.
The player was believed to have agreed to move to Chinese Super League club Chongqing Dandgai Lifan and several outlets claimed as much. But the side have since put out a statement claiming that, while they have a deal in place regarding Iniesta's wine business, he will not be joining them as a player.
"Regarding speculation over the arrival of Iniesta at Chongqing Dangdai Lifan, the club wishes to reiterate its insistence on investing rationally," the Chinese outfit stated on Monday.
"We will be engaging in a [commercial] partnership with Andres Iniesta, but he will not join us as a player."
Regarding the Vissel Kobe deal, the production of Iniesta's wineries is also part of the Japanese club's offer, as was the case with the offer from China.
Iniesta is widely regarded as a legend of the modern game, having won countless honours with Barcelona while also triumphing at international level with Spain, winning two European Championships and notably scoring the winner in the 2010 World Cup final.
