Manchester United have reportedly made a second enquiry for Barcelona superstar Ivan Rakitic, who could be sold for a fee of €50 million.
As per a report from Spanish publication Sport, Premier League heavyweights Manchester United have approached La Liga champions Ivan Rakitic for a second time as they look to add the experienced Croat to their roster ahead of next season.
Manchester United endured a poor 2018-19 campaign and are eyeing a major squad rebuild ahead of the coming season. They have already completed two signings so far, with Daniel James arriving from Swansea City and Aaron Wan-Bissaka joining from Crystal Palace.
The midfield department is something that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to strengthen next. Manchester United have lost Ander Herrera with his contract expiring, while Paul Pogba has his heart set on an exit from Old Trafford this summer.
The Frenchman is the subject of serious transfer interest from Real Madrid and Juventus and as per the report from Sport, Manchester United are growing less and less confident of keeping hold of the World Cup winner for the upcoming season, which has led them to the doors of Barcelona as they look to sign Rakitic.
Rakitic has grown into one of the best midfielders across Europe during his stint with Barcelona. During his five-year stint with the Catalans, the 31-year-old has won a multitude of titles and trophies and is currently an integral member of Ernesto Valverde’s squad.
The 2018-19 season saw Rakitic feature 54 times in all competitions, bagging 5 goals and 10 assists in the process, playing his role in Barcelona’s La Liga triumph. However, he finds his place in the side under threat following the arrival of Dutch sensation Frenkie de Jong from Ajax this summer.
Given the wealth of options in the midfield department, Barcelona are open to offloading a few players, with Rakitic believed to be among them, as per the report. And Manchester United have identified him as someone who could provide their squad a huge boost should Pogba leave this summer.
To that end, Manchester United had approached Barcelona three weeks ago over the possibility of a transfer. The report claims that the 20-time English champions had put forth a tentative offer of €35 million which the Catalans rejected outright. However, they are open to negotiations and would be willing to consider a sale should United front up a fee in the range of €50 million.
Manchester United have opened a channel of negotiation once again with the La Liga champions as per the report, but it remains to be seen if they agree to the financial demands of Barcelona or decide to look at a younger option to boost their midfield, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and John McGinn also on the club’s radar.
