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What is the story?
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has spoken out about his future plans. The Croatian sensation has revealed that he doesn’t have any intentions of leaving the Catalan giants as Barcelona celebrated their 26th La Liga title triumph on Saturday night.
In case you didn’t know….
Barcelona became La Liga champions for the 2018-19 campaign after edging out Levante 1-0 at the Camp Nou, courtesy of a second half strike from Lionel Messi. This was Barcelona’s eighth league title in the last 11 years and their fourth in the last five.
Rakitic has played an instrumental role behind Barcelona’s recent domestic domination. Even in this campaign, the hard-working midfielder remained one of the first names to appear in Ernesto Valverde’s team sheet throughout the course of the season. With 49 appearances this season across all competitions, Rakitic has racked up a staggering amount of 3839 minutes for Barcelona.
However, since the announcement of Frenkie de Jong’s big money signing back in January, there has been a real buzz in the Spanish press that Rakitic might be the player Barcelona want to off-load, given the current situation.
The heart of the matter…
During Barcelona’s league winning celebration, Rakitic revealed his intentions to stay at the Camp Nou.
"I don't want to be anywhere else.
"I hope the club, the president, the coach and the fans see this the same way I do."
The Croatian midfielder further stated his desire to stay another three years at Barcelona.
"I hope they tell me that I'll stay here for another three years.
"I'd like to be able to point to the three more years on my contract and to say I'll be here three more years.
"Anything can happen in football, but I am very calm about it all."
What’s Next?
It still remains to be seen if Rakitic remains at Barcelona beyond the season.
Meanwhile, Rakitic is expected to start against Liverpool on 1st of May at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their colossal Champions League semi-final tie.
