Barcelona are reportedly ready to offer Juventus an opportunity to sign Ivan Rakitic in an attempt to secure the services of Douglas Costa.
According to TV3, as relayed by TransferMarketWeb, Barcelona have identified Douglas Costa as their latest target. The Spanish giants are keen on securing the services of the Juventus attacker in the upcoming summer transfer window. They are even willing to offer Ivan Rakitic in an attempt to sign the Brazilian.
It makes sense given the fact that Rakitic has been linked with a move to Juventus for quite some time now. In fact, Barcelona even tried to reportedly bring in another Juventus star in Federico Bernadeschi by offering the Croatian midfielder earlier this season.
From a pure sporting perspective, Rakitic’s proposed move to Turin does make sense. Juventus have recently sold Emre Can to Borussia Dortmund permanently. The German international has already hit the ground running upon his return to Bundesliga, in fact.
Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey has failed to make the desired impact after arriving from Arsenal in the summer. Ageing midfielder Blaise Matuidi has also been linked with a move away from Italy, with Manchester United and Arsenal reportedly interested.
As a result, the Juventus midfield has looked weak, at times, this season, especially without Miralem Pjanic. It has led to the likes of Inter Milan and Lazio posing a strong fight for the league title. Rakitic, in that regard, should be a refreshing addition to the squad next season.
As for Barcelona, they could really use the addition of Douglas Costa in the summer. The Spanish champions have lacked depth in the attacking unit following the loan of Philippe Coutinho, coupled with the sale of Malcom. Youngster Carles Perez was sold to AS Roma in January while Ousmane Dembele has continued to struggle with injuries.
All these problems have forced Barcelona to appear overreliant on the services of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. And, the Blaugrana clearly lack the necessary firepower if they are to compete in all three competitions.
Costa’s experience at the highest level of football, coupled with his dynamism and pace, in that regard, should add more bite to the Barcelona attack. At the same time, the departure of Rakitic would also make sense, especially following the emergence of Frenkie de Jong.
Although the Dutchman is yet to completely find his feet under new coach Quique Setien, Barcelona are definitely in need of a transition in the midfield department. Rakitic’s swift departure, combined with Costa’s potential arrival should, therefore, turn out to be a smart move by the European giants.
