Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City always meant the Sky Blues were going to be linked with a host of Barcelona players.
The latest Nou Camp star reportedly rumoured to be on his way to the Etihad is out-of-favour Ivan Rakitic, and it seems there could be something in the speculation this time.
Croatian outlet Jutarnji List are reporting that the midfielder is close to moving to the north-west after being left out of the squad for the 1-1 draw with Villarreal due to “technical reasons”.
Of course, Rakitic joined Barca a year after Guardiola had left, but he previously admitted, quoted by the Sun:
“When I took the No 4 jersey it was purely because of him. It was a great opportunity. I took it with both hands. He was one of the best in the world. Your team-mates tell you all about him.
“I hope he is really successful in the future after tomorrow. It would be great to play for him one day.”
That’s not to say this would be an entirely straightforward deal for City to complete. It seems that Barca may be willing to let the Croatian go as he is struggling for minutes in Luis Enrique’s side, but there are several clubs interested.
Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and both AC and Inter Milan are all thought to be monitoring the situation, but with Guardiola in charge, you’d have to think City could have the most pulling power.
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