Mikel Arteta wants Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic at Arsenal
The midfielder is no longer in Barcelona’s plans.
Ivan Rakitic is set for a move away from Barcelona as the club have an influx of midfielders coming back from loan, such as Oriol Busquets and Carles Aleña, or getting promoted to the first team, like Riqui Puig.
With the addition of Miralem Pjanic from Juventus and the resurgence of Arturo Vidal, Rakitic is on the outside looking in.
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For a while now, the plan appeared to be that Rakitic would go back to Sevilla should his former side pay at least €10 million.
However, a new contender has entered the race to sign the veteran midfielder.
According to Football365, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been in contact with Rakitic in an effort to convince him to join the London-based side.
The report states that Arteta has told Rakitic that should he join, he would be the anchor in midfield and would be the team’s vice-captain, behind only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It would be an opportunity for Rakitic to feel important considering his declining status at Barcelona and his reduced playing time.
Arteta is hoping that those two promises will prove to be enough to entice him to join.
Rakitic still prefers a move to Italy or to stay in Spain.
However, the obstacle in Arsenal’s way is Rakitic’s desire to stay in Spain and go to Sevilla or to try his luck in Serie A.
He’s apparently told Arteta that, at the moment, he ranks those options above going to the Premier League.
Even at 32, Rakitic is still seen as a player who can contribute given the right team. With Arsenal likely to sell Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi as well as losing Dani Ceballos, they need midfield depth and Rakitic would fit the bill given his experience playing at Barcelona the last six years.
Arsenal could pull ahead of Sevilla if they meet the amount that Barcelona are willing to sell him for. If the €10 million price tag is accurate, with the money English teams have, that amount is considered a steal.
Barcelona have offered to sign Arsenal and Tottenham’s transfer target. dark. Next
But ultimately it’s going to be Rakitic’s decision. Barcelona do have a good track record of letting their veteran stars decide where they end up once their time at the club is up. Rakitic is going to have to weigh up whether the promises made by Arteta are enough as opposed to going back to Sevilla where he achieved a lot both on a professional and a personal level.