Barcelona-Athletic Live

Frozen out by Luis Enrique



Rakitic Sevilla

Midfielder

Croatia

Ivan Rakitic's situation is the big talking point at Barcelona. The midfielder, who has not played a single minute in LaLiga since the 1-1 draw in El Clásico at the start of December, also found himself excluded from the squad for this evening's game against Villarreal. According to press reports in Croatia, Rakitic is close to signing for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List reports that City have put in an offer which the player has not only accepted but will sign in the current winter transfer window. Rakitic, who is under contract until 2019 and has a buy-out set at 100 million euros, would be the ideal reinforcement for City who have lost İlkay Gündoğan to a cruciate ligament injury for the rest of the season.

New contract talks on hold

There has been speculation over Rakitic's contract renewal which, back at the start of the season, was a priority for Josep Maria Bartomeu. Now it seems that talks are at a complete standstill with no sign that the situation will change in the meantime. Apart from failing to sparkle on the pitch, it is believed that Rakitic's praise for Guardiola, has not gone down too well at Can Barça.