Barcelona have confirmed the release of Gabriel Milito and the defender is tipped to rejoin Independiente.
Argentina defender tipped to rejoin former club Independiente
Barcelona have confirmed the release of Gabriel Milito and the Argentine defender is expected to rejoin former club Independiente.
Milito had a further year to run on his contract at Barcelona, but he has now left the European champions in favour of a return home.
The 30-year-old joined Barca from Real Zaragoza in 2007 but he was limited to only 75 appearances for the Catalan giants, with a serious knee injury suffered in the 2008 Champions League semi-finals sidelining him for over 18 months.
A statement on the Barcelona website read: "Barcelona and Gabriel Milito have reached an agreement to release the Argentinian, whose contract expires on June 30, 2012."
He had recently been linked with his old side Zaragoza, in addition to Roma and Galatasaray, but appears to have opted for a deal with Independiente.
During the January transfer window, Milito reportedly turned down a move to the Premier League, with Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United rumoured to have shown an interest.
