£18m midfielder speaks on his Barcelona future amid reported Tottenham Hotspur interest - originally posted on Sportslens.com
Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic has said that he is ‘very happy‘ at Barcelona amid the recent speculation linking him with a Premier League move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 32-year-old’s playing time with the Blaugrana has reduced with the arrival of Frenkie de Jong last summer and he has been restricted to only 13 starts in the Spanish La Liga and Champions League combined this term.
With his contract expiring in less than 14 months’ time, there has been the suggestion that he could make the move to Spurs this summer with manager Jose Mourinho being a keen admirer of his services.
However, speaking to Sky Germany, Rakitic has cleared doubts regarding his future by stating that he is committed to the Blaugrana for the remaining length of his contract.
He added that he continues to have a good understanding with the manager and the club’s hierarchy and is very happy to remain with the club for the time being.
“I’ve got used to it a bit. I’ve been here six years now – so I’ve had six years of this sort of thing. I have to try to understand it, to remember that football is not just a sport,” He told.
“There is a bit more to it. We know that, we have to try to understand it – you have a laugh about it sometimes.
“The main thing is that I feel good and I am getting good feedback from the manager and the club.
“I’ve still got a contract, when I sign a contract I always intend to fulfil it, and if that cannot happen for any reason, then we’ll sit down together and talk about it. But for the moment, I am very happy here.”
Rakitic has been with the Blaugrana for nearly six seasons and he has contributed 34 goals and 41 assists from exactly 299 appearances across all competitions.
Under Quique Setien, he has been used on a rotation basis this year and has not started back-to-back league games with Arthur getting the nod ahead of him in half of those matches.
This had led to concerns over Rakitic’s future at the Camp Nou but he has now put the speculation to bed by suggesting that he could walkaway from the club as a free-agent when his contract expires in July 2021.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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