Barça open the door to selling Rakitic but PSG are no longer interested
The club feels it would be a good time to cash in on the Croatian midfielder but PSG want money, not players in exchange for Neymar
Ernesto Valverde surprised everyone when he seemingly opened the door for Ivan Rakitic to leave Barça this summer. Following the defeat to Chelsea in the Rakuten Cup, the head coach said: "Just like every other year, he'll need to fight for his place. Let's see what happens this time. He's always fought and won his place, but we now have a lot of players and greater competition." This is the first time Valverde hasn't immediately ruled out selling his Croatian iron man.
Inside the club, they feel now is the right time to cash in on the midfielder. Rakitic's performances have always been exceptional but it's time to give the kids a chance. Arthur, de Jong and the La Masia graduates like Carles Aleña and Riqui Puig are all pushing for minutes. Valverde would prefer to keep one extra experienced midfielder and that is set to be Arturo Vidal.
The problem is when it comes to finding buyers for Rakitic. PSG wanted the midfielder last summer but he turned them down. Barça tried to include him in the deal for Neymar but PSG insist they want money, not players. According to 'L'Equipe', the French club want to recover the €222m they spent to bring Neymar to Paris.
