Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic decided to stay with Barcelona to fight for his spot in the starting 11, declining all offers made last month, according to a report from today’s paper edition of the Catalan newspaper Sport.
The report details how the 31-year-old Croatian, who is contracted to the Blaugrana until 2021, rejected all offers last month because he wanted to be part of coach Quique Setién’s team. The decision not to leave Spain was also partly due to family reasons as well as sporting reasons.
Inter have been heavily linked with Rakitic over the last few months, the report continues, as the Nerazzurri had been searching for a top midfielder to reinforce the department. Inter eventually turned their attention to teammate Arturo Vidal, before securing the signature of Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen.
The two clubs most interested in signing the Croatian, the report adds, were Juventus and Manchester United. Unless he signs a contract renewal with the Catalan club over the next six months, he is likely to be the centre of attention in the upcoming summer transfer window as well.
