Manchester United look to have been given a major boost in their rumoured transfer pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic.
The Croatia international would be an ideal signing for the Red Devils in midfield, and has recently been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford.
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And it’s now claimed that Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde would be prepared to approve the sale as long as his club can secure a top class replacement, according to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, as reported by Sport.
This follows a previous report from Sport that claimed Man Utd had made contact over possibly signing Rakitic, who has also been linked with the Red Devils by the Daily Record.
On top of that, Don Balon linked him with MUFC and suggested he’d cost around £53million, which looks a reasonable fee to pay for a player of his calibre and experience at the highest level.
The 31-year-old has won a host of major honours in his time with Barca, playing a key role in the side’s 2014/15 treble victory, and he’s won further titles since then and also reached the World Cup final with Croatia.
United could do with that kind of winner in their ranks after some recent question-marks over their mentality after so many underwhelming performances last season.
If Valverde really is ready to let such a key player go, then this could be a big development to the saga and a huge boost for MUFC.