Barcelona: Ivan Rakitic is looking to make the most of his exit rumours

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has been linked with a departure out of Spain and with that in his mind, he wants to gain advantage in the Nou Camp itself.

Barcelona snatched a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid last weekend courtesy of Ivan Rakitic’s sublime chip in the first half. The Croatia international’s goal opened up a lead of an entire dozen of points behind the Catalans and their arch rivals, therefore he rightly has been making the headlines over the last few days.

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But that has not meant that the rumours linking Rakitic out of the Camp Nou have subsided. It is quite certain that the player himself is aware of what the media is speaking of him, and there could possible even have been contact with other clubs just yet, with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan hovering over him.

While the silver medallist of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was initially staying put to Barcelona, the club’s signing of Frenkie de Jong, the quality displayed by Arthur Melo and the potential arrival of Adrien Rabiot have all forced Ivan Rakitic into giving a second thought about his future despite knowing that Ernesto Valverde continues to consider him indispensable.

At 31 years of age, Barcelona do not know what to exactly do with Ivan Rakitic either and hence, they are looking to wait until the end of this season to decide on the Croat’s fate. But from the player’s side, there is a clear indication of staying, but only on one condition- that being about a new contract being offered to him worth a bigger paycheque.

While paying the Croatia international higher is obviously going to be a headache for Barcelona, Ernesto Valverde, Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez are all pressurizing the board into keeping him at the club even though his demands have increased. That said, Bartomeu generally bows down to his senior players so Rakitic may end up staying.

The former Sevilla midfielder has a contract in the Camp Nou until June 2021. The release clause in his contract is worth 125 million euros, but in 2020 when only one year remains on Rakitic’s current deal, the price is expected to fall to 80 million thereby allowing PSG and Inter Milan to act in Rakitic’s favour at an affordable rate.

Do you think Ivan Rakitic will be a Barcelona player in the next season?