Manchester United have been linked with a move for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic as part of their rebuild in the summer.
With the arrivals of Frenkie de Jong and possibly Matthijs De Ligt and Antoine Griezmann, the Blaugrana need funds in the summer to facilitate those signings.
As a result, Barcelona are open to selling Rakitic, and value him at €55m, but Red Devils are willing to pay a price north of €30m for the Croatian midfielder, according to Daily Record.
The 31-year-old has 5 goals and 7 assists in the 2018/19 campaign which is far from impressive, but it’s mainly down to the Catalan clubs style of play which has seen Rakitic drop deep alongside Busquets on numerous occasions.
Ivan Rakitic: A smart move by Manchester United
Rakitic had a stellar World Cup campaign last year, and garnered interest from all across Europe. Although he was not for sale last time around, things have certainly changed in the last year or so.
The Barcelona midfielder had another good season, but his abysmal performance in the defeat against Liverpool at Anfield has raised questions over his role in the squad once again.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have seen the departure of Ander Herrera on a free transfer and with speculation around Paul Pogba’s move to Real Madrid increasing by the hour, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is believed to move in for the Croatian in order to inject much-needed balance and experience to the Red Devils midfield.
The 31-year-old has played an impressive five seasons at Barcelona, playing more than 50 games in each of them. His endurance and fitness even at the age of 31 remain unparalleled, which he proved after featuring 53 times for Barcelona after a gruelling summer of World Cup, where he led Croatia to the final playing each and every game along the way.
Rakitic mainly features as a central midfielder, but his versatile nature has seen him feature in the defensive and attacking midfield roles on a regular basis. His passing, through balls and especially long shots, makes him a constant threat in the final third.
The Barcelona midfielder can aid United in both attacking and defensive aspects of their game thus providing Solskjaer with the much-needed flexibility against certain opponents. His leadership skills, experience and winner’s mentality could very work in Red Devils’ favour, who lack certain personalities in the dressing room to lift the situation.
Although he is 31 years old, he has shown no signs of ageing and his injury status over the past five years has been more impressive than most players out there. The Croat has only missed nine games through injury or illness in his spell at Camp Nou so far.
Rakitic in United’s midfield sounds like a good addition, but with interest from clubs like Inter Milan, who might offer the midfielder Champions League football, Manchester United aren’t favourites in their transfer chase.
Stat Courtesy: Whoscored, Transfermarkt
