Barcelona could lose several of their first-team players in the summer and Pep Guardiola is keeping tabs on his former side’s situation.
Barcelona are going to have to rebuild several departments of the pitch after their recent shackles in La Liga. The loss to Real Madrid was the latest debacle for the Blaugrana and after being given a reality check by their bitterest rivals, a lot of the Barca players are exploring the possibility of departing Camp Nou during the upcoming months.
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Among the possible departures, there seems to be an inevitability about Ivan Rakitic who has been touted to leave the club since the last summer. Frenkie de Jong’s arrival was tipped to spell danger to the Croatia international’s minutes, but the midfielder did stay at the club and even ruled out a January exit. However, he may depart in the summer.
Manchester City are going to lose David Silva this summer and will hope to replace him by signing Ivan Rakitic, Don Balon has claimed. The Citizens will need a creative midfielder because Silva was absolutely vital for them and Rakitic’s experience as well as playing style could benefit Pep Guardiola’s side.
Rakitic has been valued at 45 million euros by the Catalans and there seems to be every reason for that price tag to be negotiated because the player has barely featured this season. Under Ernesto Valverde, Rakitic was a regular and once was valued at 75 million euros, but this season things have changed and it’s difficult to see anyone paying that much.
Inter Milan were also interested in bringing the World Cup’s runner-up onboard, but they were unable to orchestrate a transfer for the former Sevilla midfielder and ended up signing Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur instead. While Manchester City would be a great destination for Rakitic, it may be turned down due to their Champions League ban.
Do you think Ivan Rakitic would join Manchester City despite their European situation?