Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has reached an agreement in principle to join Inter this summer, according to reports.
The Croatian international’s current deal at the Camp Nou runs through until the summer of 2021 although Barca signed midfielders Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo last summer and have a deal to sign Frenkie De Jong from Ajax this summer.
El Mundo Deportivo journalist Francesc Aguilar cites a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport which claims of an increase on Rakitic’s €5.5m annual salary.
His agent Arturo Canales is reported to have said last week that the midfielder would not be leaving the club this summer although the Spanish media have cast doubt upon such claims.
Earlier this month, Diario Sport suggested the central midfielder has attracted interest from a number of clubs including Chelsea and Inter.
Barca do not want to increase the player’s salary at the club despite rejecting an approach from Paris Saint-Germain this summer – with Rakitic reportedly claiming he had been promised a salary raise.
Earlier this month at El Mundo Deportivo’s awards ceremony, Rakitic himself said: “I would like to renew and stay for many years.”
Rakitic is aiming to win his fourth league title in five years with Barca, whom he joined from Sevilla in the summer of 2014 for a reported €18m.
The Croatian has also won four Copa del Rey titles and the Champions League in that time, scoring 33 goals across 247 appearances.
