The futures of Barcelona midfielders Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal seem more or less set in stone, with both players set to stay amid interest from other clubs.
As January nears its end, the futures of some of Barcelona’s players start to become more conclusive. As it stands, Arturo Vidal will stay at the club, with Ivan Rakitic looking unlikely to leave, reports Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
The Chilean midfielder has garnered interest from Italian side Inter Milan for some time now, with the club’s CEO speaking publicly about his situation to Italian radio station, Radio Rai, before Barcelona’s managerial change took place.
However, at the time, it was reported that Vidal would stay at the club, amid the interest from Inter, if Ernesto Valverde was dismissed. The Txingurri has since been dismissed, and the club now know, with certainty, that Vidal will stay, club sources have told Mundo Deportivo.
As for Ivan Rakitic, his situation is somewhat different. The player has always shown and spoken about his desire to stay at the club. Due to this, and Setién’s recent inclusion of him in his plans, it does seem likely that he will stay with the Blaugrana for the time being. The player himself is happy at the club and has no intentions of leaving, reports Mundo Deportivo.
However, Italian journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, reports that Barcelona have been in talks with Juventus over a swap deal between Ivan Rakitic and forward Federico Bernardeschi. The Italian side would be willing to agree on a swap deal, if Barcelona were to add money in the deal. This would mean that Barcelona would send Rakitic and money on the side to Juventus, in exchange for Bernardeschi, reports the Italian journalist.
Currently, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona do not rule out any scenarios, but do see his departure as an unlikely one. Meanwhile, sources close to the Croatian insist that no move to Juventus is on the cards.
All in all, it does seem unlikely that either of the two midfielders leave Barcelona this winter, and given Bernardeschi’s reserve status with Juventus, it does seem very unlikely that the Catalan side would be willing to include money alongside Rakitic in a potential swap deal.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Juventus’ sporting director, Fabio Paratici, on Monday denied there being any concrete interest from either side in a swap deal between the two players.
Rakitic and Vidal’s contracts with Barcelona run out in 2021, with the latter having signed with the club in the summer of 2018, and Rakitic having had a renewal in 2017. Bernardeschi’s contract with Juventus runs out in 2022, having joined from fellow Serie A-side Fiorentina, in 2017.
In terms of arrivals, the club are still uncertain, but could potentially bring a forward to the club, in the absence of Luis Suárez, with Dani Olmo, Pedro Rodriguez and Krzysztof Piatek being among the options.
