Ivan Rakitic could leave Barcelona if they sign Philippe Coutinho – leaving door open for Premier League switch
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IVAN RAKITIC could leave Barcelona if the club sign Philippe Coutinho.
Croatia ace Rakitic does not fancy playing second fiddle to the Brazilian at the Nou Camp and is pondering his options should the Liverpool ace arrive, according to reports.
Rakitic turns 30 in March and would surely be in line for another big career move, should he be wanted.
No doubt Liverpool could be interested if he wanted to go the other way in a deal, although there would be question marks over quite how he fits into the style of Jurgen Klopp’s style of play.
But there would surely be interest from rival Premier League clubs over the former Basel, Schalke and Sevilla midfielder.
Chelsea and Manchester United would especially suit the Croatia ace, as would Arsenal if they manage to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
TRANSFER NEWS
According to Diario Gol, the club expect to make another bid for Coutinho in the January transfer window and if they are not successful will make further advances over the summer.
Liverpool tried all they could to keep Rakitic last summer and succeeded for the time being, although the 25-year-old was clearly out of sorts after the episode and missed the start of the season, with an injury being cited.
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The coming summer will be a huge one either way for Coutinho, who is expected to one of Brazil’s star players in the coming World Cup.
Coutinho played in his country’s 0-0 draw with England last night, while Rakitic’s Croatia qualified for Russia via the play-offs with a 4-1 aggregate win over Greece.
Rakitic has won the Champions League, two La Liga titles and three Copa Del Rey trophies since moving to the Nou Camp in 2014.
