Barcelona's midfielder Ivan Rakitic future at the club remains up in the air, given the imminent arrival of Dutchman Frenkie de Jong from Ajax, the former Sevilla captain has been on the radar of both Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United but that is set to change as new reports in Italy have suggested that the Croatian's preferred destination is Juventus if he is to depart the Camp Nou.
The World cup finalist has made it clear that he does not wish to leave Camp Nou, and he has high hopes that he will be offered a contract extension at the club, but rumours about his departure continue to maintain prominence in the press.
The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport have ensured that the 31-year-old has already had contact with Juventus and, most importantly, has given his approval ahead of a potential move to the Bianconeri.
In the event that Rakitic does move from Barcelona, Juventus would be his preferred option. The arrival of De Jong at the Camp Nou will put Rakitic's place in the line-up under threat and, given his outstanding performances this season, he is a player that Barcelona could recoup a lot of money from. His exit would help pay for De Jong's transfer fee, as well as a potential move for Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
Concerning the rumoured contract renewal, neither the player nor the club are in a hurry over penning a contract renewal and will not address the issue until the end of the current campaign. The midfielder knows that the club will not renew his contract in the middle of the current season and he's earnestly waiting for what will happen at the end of the season.
Although the president promised an improvement on his current terms when Paris Saint-Germain came calling last summer, when he does renew, it does not appear that there will be an increase.
The team's overall salary outlay doesn't allow for an increase for the Croatian as he renewed in March 2017 for four years and the club consider that it is not the right time. His future will not be decided until June, although the midfielder is fully aware that if he was to enter the market then he would not be short of offers.
Meanwhile, Rakitic is fitting in perfectly at Barcelona and playing as well as ever before his future is analysed. The fact that Valverde has renewed for another year with the club is good news as the coach has always bet heavily on the player and was key to him remaining last summer.
The importance that the coach places in the Croatian means he rarely misses a game and for his part, Rakitic continues to trust the president's word. His agent Arturo Canales said a few days ago in Italy that it is impossible to see him leaving in the summer.
We will have to wait and see if he would eventually remain at Barcelona or opt for a move to Juventus in order to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

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