Navas to stay at Sevilla after being offered a lifetime contract

Jesus Navas is set to stay at Sevilla after being offered a lifetime contract, just two days after it was announced the legend would leave the club at the end of the season.

On Thursday, Navas informed his teammates and coaching staff after training that he would be leaving after 21 years with the Spanish side over two spells.

But the 38-year-old is expected to stay at Sevilla after their president, José Maria del Nido Carrasco, said he had offered Navas the chance to stay as long as he wants.

He said: “I feel obliged to express the club’s position on Jesus. It would not occur to me, as a person, as a Sevilla player, nor as president, to confront the most great legend of the club Even this stadium (Estadio Jesus Navas) bears his name and I do not want to argue or confront him, whether in public or in private.

“But I also can’t let it go into the story that Jesus doesn’t continue because Sevilla doesn’t want him to. It must have been a misunderstanding for which I would take responsibility because I know Jesus is suffering a lot.

“From there I offer him a lifetime contract so that he can play here until he wants and then he can work here as he wants, because he deserves to be in Sevilla too as long as he wants.”

Navas later released a statement on social media to confirm he wanted to stay at the club and retire in December. He then added that he would donate the rest of his salary “to a foundation”.