Barcelona have reiterated the fact that Ivan Rakitic will be extending his stay the Nou Camp despite interest from Manchester City.
There were rumours of a bust-up between the player and Barca boss Luis Enrique when he was left out of two consecutive games in December, but this no longer seems to be the case.
At the time there were suggestions that Pep Guardiola was considering trying to sign the player during this transfer window but based on reports in Goal, that now seems wide of the mark.
After the Copa del Rey game at Real Sociedad, Rakitic said: “I hope that I can continue here for many years. I want to renew my contract with Barcelona. I am worried because I always want to play but I have absolute confidence in the coach. I need to work but I’m confident.”
The midfielder is also expected to start against Eibar tonight with Andres Iniesta out through injury. The current La Liga champions are down to third and five points behind leaders Real Madrid and one behind second-placed Sevilla.
Although the player has previously admitted he would ‘love to work with Guardiola’, it appears that this is not something that is likely to happen in the immediate future despite speculation to the contrary.
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