Ivan Rakitic provides fresh update on his Barcelona future

Croatia international Ivan Rakitic has suggested that he has no plans of parting ways with Barcelona despite approaching the final 12 months of his contract with the Spanish giants.

Rakitic has made exactly 299 appearances for the Blaugrana across all competitions but he has struggled for regular playing time during the course of the current campaign.

He has featured in 30 games this term but out of those, only 14 have come from the starting lineup. Moreover, he has yet to find the back of the net and has managed only four assists across all competitions.

As a result, the 32-year-old has experienced a difficult campaign by his high standards but he remains determined to stay put with the Blaugrana for the final year of his deal next season.

“I’m convinced that I’ll stay at Barcelona. 2 weeks ago, I contacted the club and we agreed that there’s nothing to talk about because I still have a contract with Barcelona and my wife and kids are happy here. I just want to enjoy and be happy. That comes by winning titles with Barcelona,” He told Croatian outlet T Portal.

Rakitic’s playing time has reduced this season with the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax and he has been regularly swapped with Arthur for a starting position in the centre of the park.

At the current phase of his career, the midfielder can’t anticipate regular first-team football with the Blaugrana unless he can perform consistently at a high level.

That has not been the case this season where he has been a lesser creative force, but he appears focused on seeing out the remainder of his contract rather than pursuing a fresh challenge elsewhere this summer.

Barcelona restart their league campaign after the coronavirus shutdown with an away game at Mallorca this weekend. It remains to be seen whether Rakitic is involved from the starting lineup.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com