Barcelona could receive a bid of €90 million for Ivan Rakitić
With the signing of Frenkie de Jong for €86 million in the summer, Barcelona are looking to make room for the 21-year old Dutch defensive midfielder in the squad. Apparently, key first-team player Ivan Rakitić will be offloaded in order to facilitate De Jong’s introduction.
The 30-year old Croatian playmaker is not interested in a move away from the Camp Nou. In fact, the World Cup finalist recently asked club president Josep Maria Bartomeu to give him a new contract. But instead, Barça could be pocketing a huge profit.
Inter Milan are currently leading the chase for Rakitić’s signature, with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain also interested. The Nerazzurri are not willing to match the hardworking midfielder’s €120 million release clause, but are still offering a huge amount.
Inter are willing to shell out €90 million in order to sign Rakitić. They would not give him a pay upgrade at the San Siro, but he would certainly feature among the first names on the teamsheet of Luciano Spalletti. That would not be the case at Barça.
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The club signed Rakitić from Sevilla in 2014 for a fee of €18 million, which was considered a steal because he had just led the Nervionsenses to their third Europa League title in history. The fee was less than his market value at the time, and he slotted straight into Luis Enrique’s first-team.
Now, Barça could receive an offer which would amount to a payback of €72 million. That almost covers the principal fee paid to Ajax for De Jong. Moreover, the funds gained from Rakitić’s sale would finance the entire operation of bringing the young Dutchman to the Camp Nou.
But as he has shown last season, a price tag cannot be put on a player like Ivan Rakitić. He has been consistently brilliant ever since Ernesto Valverde took over from Luis Enrique as manager, and has become one of the best midfielders in the world.
And although a profit of €72 million seems very tempting, Barça should reject the €90 million offer for Rakitić. He is priceless, and putting a value on his talent would undermine his footballing ability. The club should rise beyond mere finances, and look back at its original values.
‘Mes que un club’ would only be proven if Barça decide to hold on to Ivan Rakitić, and do not give in to the lure of money. But in today’s inflated transfer market, the club is likely to have no other choice than accept this potential offer.