Barcelona might be set to say goodbye to one of the squad's most important players.

According to multiple reports in Croatia and Spain, midfielder Ivan Rakitic has decided to leave the club, and his agent has begun listening to offers for the player. Rakitic has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, most specifically Manchester City, now that Pep Guardiola needs reinforcements in midfield with the long-term injury to Ilkay Gundogan.

Rakitic joined Barça in 2014 and quickly became one of the most fundamental players in the more direct system implemented by Luis Enrique. Rakitic's tireless effort and passing ability turned him into the engine in midfield, and he was wonderful for the Blaugrana in his first two seasons.

In this campaign, however, the Croatian has not enjoyed the same success, for a number of different reasons: his minutes were cut short by the arrivals of André Gomes and Denis Suarez, his tactical importance was diminished with the departure of Dani Alves, and his overall form dropped dramatically in comparison to his very solid contributions from his first two seasons.

Rakitic is also disappointed at the club's lack of effort on a contract extension. Ivan was one of the players expected to sign a new deal with the club, but now there are no indications that Barça intend to renew his deal, and are prepared to sell the player if a good offer comes in.

All of those factors created a bad situation for Rakitic, who's no longer happy in Barcelona and sees the opportunity to play in England and to work with Pep Guardiola as a great chance to return to his bright moments with the Catalan giants.