Football
ESPN staff 7y

Darijo Srna signs new Shakhtar deal, rules out Barcelona switch

Darijo Srna signed a new contract with Shakhtar Donetsk on Monday and ruled out a possible move to Barcelona.

Shakhtar confirmed in January that Barcelona had expressed interest in singing the right-back as Aleix Vidal began to fall out of favour before his season-ending ankle injury.

But Srna, who turned 35 on Monday, has tied hs future to Shakhtar for another season and says he has no plans to leave the club for whom he has played since 2003.

"I am very happy," Srna said. "I want to finish my career at Shakhtar. And when the president told me that he offered me a new contract, I only thanked him in response.

"I agreed to any terms. You probably know about the story with Barcelona, however, as I said, my heart is here. I'm happy at Shakhtar. After a 14-year spell with them, you do not consider yourself a part of the club -- you become a member of the family.

"And at such a difficult time, it's hard just to give up everything. Therefore, I made my decision very quickly. When I talked to the president, I told him that I was glad to sign a new contract, and I am glad that he believes in the team and me. Therefore, I feel a great responsibility to the president, the club and the fans. I am going to give my all to the fullest."

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