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Ligue 1 duo interested in Barcelona star Rakitic

As reported by Spanish media outlet ​Mundo Deportivo, the French duo have ramped up their interest in the 30-year-old after his heroics in Russia this summer.

Barcelonas Ivan Rakitic (right) garners French interest

Bengaluru, August 10: ​Ligue 1 powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco are both interested in ​Barcelona's Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic, with both clubs said to have registered their interest in the former Sevilla man after he caught the eye during his country's run to the World Cup final.

As reported by Spanish media outlet ​Mundo Deportivo, the French duo have ramped up their interest in the 30-year-old after his heroics in Russia this summer, with the current state of the transfer market, his €125m release clause is fairly attainable.

Rakitic was a key player for Ernesto Valverde last season as Barcelona embarked on a record-breaking title success, with the midfielder playing more minutes than any of his teammates.

Since arriving at the Camp Nou, he has been one of the first names on the team sheet; la Blaugrana have not made him available for a move, but could be swayed by a huge offer for a player entering his 30s.

Barcelona's recent player plus cash swoop for ​Manchester United's Paul Pogba, consisting of £45m, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes, was swiftly declined, although the club did think of adding Rakitic in the deal.

The player himself, however, has a contract until 2021 and has not expressed his desire to leave Catalonia.

PSG and Barcelona may struggle to do business given their fractured relationship over deals involving the likes of Marco Verratti and Neymar in the past, although the Parisians do have the financial ability to afford Rakitic.

Monaco also have the finances to lure Rakitic to France, given the lucrative deals involving Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Fabinho to PSG, ​Atletico Madrid and ​Liverpool respectively.

The club have already added Russia's World Cup hero Aleksandr Golovin to their ranks, but will need to capture more big names to replace the aforementioned trio, who all played a huge role in Monaco's recent success.

Story first published: Friday, August 10, 2018, 10:20 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 10, 2018