MANCHESTER UNITED can reportedly land Ivan Rakitic for free as the Barcelona outcast insists he will see out his Nou Camp deal.
The highly-rated midfielder has just one-year left on his deal with the Catalan giants, but has admitted his frustration at a lack of playing time in Spain.
The 32-year-old has fallen down the pecking order under boss Quique Setien since the arrival of Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong.
And the Croatian ace looked set to spark a transfer scramble this summer with clubs across Europe including Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid set to pursue a deal.
Along with both United and Tottenham who are both in the market for a new midfielder.
Barca looked likely to cash in on Rakitic to avoid losing him for free and to raise funds of their own in the wake of the coronavirus crunch.
But the Nou Camp star has now thrown cold water over speculation of a move away and insists he has no intentions of a move away.
He told Croatian publication Tportal: “I spoke to the club ten or 15 days ago and the conclusion is that I have nothing to talk about because I have a contract until the summer of 2021 with Barcelona and it is the entity I want to be in and play with.
“Furthermore, my wife and my daughters are good in the city. There is no reason to think about other things. I am training well and I am sure that Rakitic will be in Barcelona longer.”
However, the midfield maestro admits it has been hard falling down the Nou Camp hierarchy, but holds nothing but “respect” for boss Setien who replaced Ernesto Valverde as Barca head honcho in January.
He said: “It is not nice when you do not play, especially when you do not understand why and they do not explain the reasons,
“But I respect the coach’s decisions. I am in a team sport, not individual.”
The Red Devils attempted to land Rakitic in January but the move was blocked because his wife Raquel wanted to remain in Barcelona.
And he has made it no secret of his desire to rejoin Sevilla whom he left in 2014.
The Croatian vice-skipper is a serial winner having won ten major pieces of silverware throughout an illustrious career and he would still love to add to his glittering cabinet when La Liga resumes on June 11.
He added: “The most important thing to me is the present moment, and that means we are starting the championship next weekend. We must be ready for that too.
“With the years I have, I think I have proven that football is most important to me. I simply want to be happy and enjoy. That means winning a lot more trophies with Barcelona.”
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