Recent speculation has linked Ivan Rakitic with a move to PSG, which Barcelona must avoid.
The Croatian midfielder had an excellent summer with his national team as they managed to reach the World Cup final against all the odds, but they were beaten 4-1 by a well-organised French side. His performances have increased his value significantly as well as attracting interest in his signature, although Barcelona have no interest in selling him.
PSG are considering a €125 million bid due to that being the amount of his release clause. Rakitic divides the fanbase due to not being an archetypal Barcelona midfielder, but he is a key member of the team. He played 4,266 minutes last season, which was the fourth highest amount in the entire squad.
Barca can’t afford to sell him so late in the window even though they would receive a high fee for a 30-year-old. Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus for €112 million, although he is slightly older at 33. Therefore, this highlights the value they would be getting from the Croatian who is likely to be at his peak, and they only bought him for €18 million.
There isn’t a player in the squad who can be guaranteed to come in and replace him without any drop off in performance. This means that a replacement would have to be brought in with the transfer window set to shut on Aug. 31st. If the right player could be identified then it would require an inflated fee due to teams being unwilling to sell as well as the fact that it would be common knowledge how much money Barcelona would have available.
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A promising, young midfield is being built because summer signing Arthur has settled in well while Carles Alena, Oriol Busquets and Riqui Puig are all exciting prospects aiming for a regular place in the matchday squads. Denis Suarez and Sergi Samper are also competing for a first-team spot, and Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with the club. However, letting Rakitic go would put too much pressure on these players to perform regularly.
Philippe Coutinho, Sergi Roberto, Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets provide an experienced backbone, but they would have to be rotated out regularly in order to avoid fatigue. Rafinha is also at the club, but looks likely to leave.
This season should be a chance for the younger players to adjust to the team and see which ones impress enough to stake a claim for a first-team place. There is a clear expectation among the supporters and players to win the Champions League, and selling Rakitic would jeopardise this.
Rakitic is an excellent box-to-box midfielder because he shares the defensive work rate and responsibilities with Busquets while also helping progress play and circulate possession as well as occasionally directly contributing offensively. Roberto is one of the few players who could fit into that role. However, it’s unlikely that he would be as consistent as the Croatian especially in big games.
Arthur’s progression will be interesting because he provides the possibility of changing Barcelona’s set-up in the future. Coutinho, Arthur and Busquets is a potential adventurous midfield trio. The Brazilian is more of a deep-lying playmaker than a box-to-box midfielder, so the midfield would have higher press resistance and be more effective at ball progression, but that would come at the expense of ball-winning ability.
Ultimately, the decision is down to Rakitic because PSG have the money to activate his release clause. There aren’t any signs that he wants to leave because he hasn’t been pushing for a move, so he is likely to stay this summer. He could leave in the near future, but Barcelona should be well prepared for that outcome.