Liverpool are reportedly set to rival Manchester United for the signing of Barcelona midfield mainstay Ivan Rakitic.
Liverpool are set to join bitter rivals Manchester United in the hunt for Barcelona’s Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic, according to a report from the Mirror.
Liverpool are understood to be keen on strengthening their midfield department over the summer, with German international Emre Can poised to leave the club upon his contract expiry at the end of the season and veteran James Milner not getting any younger.
Liverpool have already signed Naby Keita from RB Leipzig last summer and the Guinean will be joining up with the Merseyside outfit ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. However, manager Jurgen Klopp is of the belief that more quality is needed in the middle of the park and has identified Rakitic as a potential target.
Rakitic joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014 from Sevilla and has gone on to become an integral part of the team. The 30-year old has racked up 202 appearances for the Blaugrana, netting 29 goals and assisting 27 more. In the process, Rakitic has won two La Liga titles and an UEFA Champions League trophy along with a number of other cup victories.
In the ongoing campaign, the 88-time capped Croatian international has chalked up 43 appearances in all competitions scoring and assisting four goals each.
However, with Barcelona signing two new midfielders over the last eight months in the form of Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho and with the signing of another Brazilian, Arthur, sealed from Gremio for the next summer, Rakitic is pondering over his future at Camp Nou and is understood to be willing to consider a move away.
Liverpool’s bitter rivals Manchester United too have had a long-standing interest in Rakitic and have been strongly linked with a move for him in the summer.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be losing Marouane Fellaini at the end of the season after having been unable to agree a new contract with him, while captain Michael Carrick is set to call it a day on his playing career. And the 30-year old Rakitic is seen as the natural replacement for the retiring Englishman.
Immensely talented and vastly experienced, Rakitic will also bring in a winner’s mentality to the side having been a core member of a very successful Barcelona side in recent years. Given that he has a contract till the summer of 2021 with the Catalans, he could cost big money, but would be a more than worthy addition to either sides.
However, it remains to be seen if the interest from Liverpool and Manchester United will transform into serious action over the summer.
