Reds, Gunners target Barca’s Rakitic

IVAN Rakitic could be facing a move away from Barcelona in the wake of the £145 million (RM770m) purchase of Philippe Coutinho, according to reports.

Croatia midfielder Rakitic is one of a number of Barca stars who see their position at the club under threat following the La Liga leaders' big-money January purchase.

Diario Gol link the 29-yearold with Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as Juventus, who are all looking at midfielders to move for next summer.

Coutinho, who completed his move from Liverpool on Monday, could potentially play in Barcelona's midfield or up front – offering a threat to a range of players' first-team prospects.

“I think he can bring a lot to the team,” manager Ernesto Valverde said of Coutinho.

“He scores and sets up goals, and going forward he can help us a lot as he can play both inside and out wide.

“He is versatile and we can take advantage of his versatility.”

Quizzed on where the Brazil international would play regularly, he added: “We will wait until I have seen him train for a day at least until we talk about that.”

Rakitic has started all but six games for Barcelona this season and has featured in a further four as a substitute — only missing two games of their Copa del Rey campaign. Daily Mail