Ivan Rakitic looks set to remain at Barcelona this summer on the insistence of Coach Ernesto Valverde, according to Diario AS.
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.
Last month, El Mundo Deportivo cited a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport that Rakitic had agreed a deal to join Italian club Inter when the transfer window reopens.
His agent Arturo Canales is reported to have said 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.
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 251 appearances.
