Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic is reportedly a man in demand despite his struggles for playing time this season with Juventus and Inter both keen.
Since arriving at the Nou Camp, the 31-year-old has made 50 or more appearances in each campaign he’s spent with the Catalan giants.
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However, he appears to have fallen down the pecking order this year as he has been limited to 10 outings thus far and with many of those coming off the bench.
That would suggest that coach Ernesto Valverde is now set to show a preference for other options, thus raising doubts over Rakitic’s future at Barcelona as he will believe that he still has the quality and experience to play a more prominent role either with the reigning La Liga champions or elsewhere.
According to Mundo Deportivo, he could be given a chance of an escape route in January as both Juventus and Inter are said to be interested in bolstering their respective squads in the New Year.
Given the likes of Emre Can and Adrian Rabiot have struggled for playing time with Juventus so far this season, it’s questionable as to whether it would be the smartest move for Rakitic to go there and face the same problem as he does now in a packed midfield under Maurizio Sarri.
However, should players be axed in order to make space for him, then that would be a different story.
In contrast, Inter boss Antonio Conte blasted the club’s hierarchy this week for not planning well enough over the summer to give him enough quality depth and experience in the squad to compete on multiple fronts for major trophies this season, as per the Guardian.
Rakitic would arguably tick all the right boxes for him in that regard, with Mundo Deportivo noting that a swoop for his teammate Arturo Vidal doesn’t seem likely from the Nerazzurri.
