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Barcelona star benched ahead of potential Premier League move

By Rucker Haringey

July 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy defender Leonardo (22) controls the ball against Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic (4) and midfielder Sergio Busquets (5) during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
July 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy defender Leonardo (22) controls the ball against Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic (4) and midfielder Sergio Busquets (5) during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Barcelona may be preparing to sell Ivan Rakitic

Ivan Rakitic hasn’t been shy about his desire to play for Pep Guardiola again, and the Barcelona star may just get his wish. The talented Croatian was left out of Luis Enrique’s matchday squad against Villarreal yesterday which has sparked rumors of an impending sale to Manchester City.

Ordinarily I’d be inclined to chalk this up as an overreaction from the Spanish press. The only trouble is, this report isn’t coming from anywhere near Barcelona. Instead, the most prominent story linking Rakitic with a move to City comes from his native Croatia. Jutarnji report that the classy midfielder will move to England in a move worth somewhere around £50 million.

Guardiola would surely love to add a player of Rakitic’s quality to his City side this winter. In particular, the classy midfielder would soften the blow of Ilkay Gundogan’s injury for the Premier League squad. He’d add an immediate boost to a club, and manager, that could certainly use it.

The move is a little more difficult to understand from Barcelona’s point of view. While it’s true that Rakitic angered his manager by openly commenting on a potential move to play for Guardiola, he’s still an important part of the Barca squad. Selling world-class players in the middle of a season where you are trying desperately to catch Real Madrid seems like bad policy.

Rakitic has made 10 starts for Enrique this season and has played reasonably well. The fact that he’s been dropped from the Barcelona starting XI as of late should set off alarm bells for fans of the classy Croatian. Something clearly isn’t right between he and his manager.

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From an economic standpoint, selling Rakitic now would be prudent for Barcelona. His value isn’t likely to increase sitting on his bench. Selling the 28-year-old midfielder to a somewhat desperate Manchester City side could represent the best chance to recoup a significant fee.

I’m still inclined to believe that Rakitic will stay put until the summer. Despite his conflict with Enrique, he’s still one of his manager’s best options in the middle of the park. Selling him off without an immediate replacement would be an unnecessary risk for the Catalan giants. Rakitic may yet move to England, but this summer seems like a much more likely timeframe for his departure.

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