Liverpool reportedly want Barcelona and Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic as part of the Spanish side’s deal to sign want-away Brazil star Philippe Coutinho, as reported by the Express.
Barca and Liverpool have spent a large part of the last few weeks negotiating over a deal for Coutinho, who has already handed in a transfer request at Anfield as he looks to secure a move away from the club, as reported by the Express.
Coutinho, 25, has emerged as Barca’s number one target to replace Neymar following the winger’s world-record move to Ligue 1 side PSG, with the player eager to secure a move away from Merseyside, report the Express.
As per the Express, Rakitic’s name has now began cropping up in talks between the two clubs over Coutinho, with Spanish news outlet Diario Gol suggesting that the Reds are very keen on bringing Rakitic to the club.
It reported that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp rates midfielder Rakitic very highly, with Diario Gol saying that should he be paired with duo Jordan Henderson and Emre Can, it could see the Reds win their first ever Premier League title.
As written by the Express, Barcelona could include Rakitic in a deal to try and bring Coutinho to the club, with the La Liga already having had two bids for the player rejected, the most recent offer being in the region of £90M.
Should Rakitic be included in Barca’s attempts to sign Coutinho, it’ll be interesting to see whether the former Sevilla star can fill the void left by Coutinho should a move materialise.