The transfer window closes: Rakitic remains a Barcelona player

The transfer window closes: Rakitic remains a Barcelona player

 Rakitic anotó el 1-2 cuando el partido estaba a punto de morir con un soberbio dispar a la escuadra / | FCB

The Croatian had been linked with PSG & Juve but will remain at Camp Nou

With the transfer window now shut, Ernesto Valverde finally knows what his squad is for the season. And among the players at his disposal is Ivan Rakitic, who has been the focus of much speculation this summer. 

But not just speculation. Barça were open to letting him go. It seems the days of Rakitic being untouchable have gone, despite his record in previous seasons. He has been on the bench in all three league games this year. 

45 minutes

The Croatian has only been used in one of those three games. In total, he has played just 45 minutes of competitive football, watching the other two games from the bench. That forced him to finally consider a move away, although it didn't happen in the end. 

The overbooking in midfield means that some players are not going to play. It looks like Rakitic will suffer this year. Barça tried to include him in a deal for Neymar, but that didn't work out either. 

PSG & Juventus

Paris Saint-Germain were keen on him, but the complicated nature of a deal for Neymar cooled a move to Paris. The other candidate, until the last moment, was Juve, who didn't have much cash to offer but were hopeful of swapping Emre Can, Bentancur or Rugani, options which didn't convince Barça. 

Rakitic has a deal at Camp Nou until 2021, when he will be 33. His release clause is 125 million euros, but Barça, during Neymar talks, valued him at 50 million. 

He arrived at the club in 2014 and his performances in his five years in Catalonia have been good, but Barça feel they need new legs in the middle. New additions in his position and the general feeling among the fans have forced Valverde to change his stance on one of his most-used players. 

Rakitic's decision to not join up with the Croatia team to sort out his future set off the alarms but now it's confirmed: Rakitic se queda. Another midfielder for Valverde. 

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